France secured their place in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay, setting up a mouthwatering last-eight meeting with Morocco.
Kylian Mbappe’s second-half penalty proved the difference in Philadelphia, as Didier Deschamps’ side eventually broke down a resolute Paraguay defence in sweltering conditions at Lincoln Financial Field.
Paraguay, fresh from their shock penalty shootout victory over Germany in the Round of 32, frustrated France for long periods with a disciplined defensive display and limited Les Bleus to few clear-cut openings.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 70th minute after Desire Doue made an immediate impact from the bench. The Paris Saint-Germain winger drove into the penalty area before being brought down by Diego Gomez, with the referee awarding a spot-kick following a VAR review.
Mbappe stepped up and calmly converted to register his seventh goal of the tournament, moving level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
France will now meet Morocco in the quarter-finals after the Atlas Lions produced a commanding 3-0 victory over Canada earlier on Saturday.
Azzedine Ounahi struck twice before Soufiane Rahimi added a stoppage-time third as Morocco ended Canada’s historic World Cup run to become the first African nation to reach the quarter-finals at back-to-back World Cups.
The meeting will renew a growing rivalry between the two nations following France’s victory over Morocco in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, with a place in the last four now at stake.
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