PHILADELPHIA (Kashmir English): France defeated Paraguay 1-0 in a highly intense Round of 16 match at the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Saturday.
The knockout game was played at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia under an extreme heat warning reaching 38°C.
Coming off a massive victory over Germany, Paraguay frustrated the French offense for over an hour.
Despite holding 76% of the ball possession and executing 12 corner kicks, France were largely restricted to long-range efforts during the first half, which ended 0-0.
The decisive moment came down to substitution and a critical VAR intervention.
In the 67th minute, Doué drove into the penalty area and was tripped by Paraguay’s Diego Gómez. After a formal VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot.
Kylian Mbappé stepped up in the 70th minute, executed a signature stutter-step, and buried the penalty into the bottom-right corner.
Once down a goal, Paraguay opened up their shape and shifted to a more attacking 4-2-3-1 formation but France comfortably maintained their clean sheet through extensive stoppage time.
Mbappé’s 7th goal of 2026 FIFA World Cup
With this strike, Mbappé claimed his 7th goal of the 2026 tournament, moving level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race.
With this victory, France will face Morocco in the quarterfinals in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
