France edge Paraguay as Mbappé penalty decides tense World Cup test

France beat Paraguay 1-0, with Kylian Mbappé converting a 70th-minute penalty after Diego Gomez brought down substitute Désiré Doué and VAR confirmed the decision. The result keeps France moving on in the World Cup, with Morocco next on their schedule in Boston on Thursday.

Paraguay made the match uncomfortable by defending deep, slowing the rhythm and forcing France’s attacking players to work in tight spaces. The first half produced little clear threat from either side, and the hot Philadelphia conditions added to the stop-start feel of the game.

Mbappé’s penalty was also his seventh goal of the tournament, putting him level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race according to the supplied report. It also placed him alongside Messi as a player to reach at least seven goals in two different World Cups.

For France, the wider takeaway may be less about attacking fluency and more about composure. Didier Deschamps’ side did not produce a flowing performance, but they avoided being pulled into Paraguay’s preferred battle and found the one decisive moment they needed.