France beat Paraguay 1-0 in Philadelphia on Saturday as Kylian Mbappe’s second-half penalty sent Didier Deschamps’ side into a World Cup quarter-final against Morocco.
Mbappe scored from the spot in the 70th minute after Desire Doue went down under contact from Diego Gomez. The referee awarded the penalty after a review.
Paraguay frustrated France for long periods at Lincoln Financial Field. They defended deep, limited space around the box, and did not allow France to reproduce the attacking rhythm of earlier matches.
France dominated possession but struggled to create clear chances. Manu Kone had one first-half effort deflected wide and another shot tipped over by Orlando Gill after the restart.
Deschamps changed the attack just after the hour by sending Doue to the left wing in place of Bradley Barcola. Doue quickly forced the decisive incident when he drove into a crowded Paraguayan defence.
Ousmane Dembele protected the penalty spot as Paraguay players approached it before Mbappe stepped forward and converted. The goal moved Mbappe level with Lionel Messi as the tournament’s joint-top scorer on seven goals.
Mbappe now has 19 World Cup goals in 19 appearances. He stands one goal behind Messi’s overall World Cup total of 20.
Read: Morocco Beat Canada 3-0 to Reach World Cup Quarters
Paraguay, ranked 41st in the world, had reached the last 16 after eliminating Germany on penalties. Their only shot on target against France came in the 90th minute.
France will face Morocco in Foxborough next Thursday after Morocco beat Canada 3-0 earlier Saturday to reach the quarter-finals.
