France booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, edging past a determined Paraguay side 1-0 in Philadelphia to set up a repeat of their 2022 semi-final against Morocco but this time round it will be in the quarter final stage.
Kylian Mbappe settled the tie with a 70th-minute penalty after substitute Desire Doue was fouled inside the box, a decision confirmed following a video review.
The spot kick took Mbappe’s tournament tally to seven goals, drawing him level with Lionel Messi atop the golden boot standings, and extended his record for World Cup knockout-stage goals to eleven.
Paraguay, who had eliminated Germany on penalties in the previous round, set up defensively with a five-man backline and largely nullified France’s attacking threat for long stretches.
Les Bleus dominated possession throughout but were limited mostly to long-range efforts before finally breaking through in the second half.
The closing stages grew heated, with several confrontations between players continuing after the final whistle, though the match produced no bookings.
France will now face Morocco on Thursday, July 9, in Boston, four years after beating the Atlas Lions 2-0 in Qatar, en route to the 2022 final.
Morocco advanced to the quarter-finals earlier Saturday with a 3-0 win over co-hosts Canada.
