France edge Paraguay as Mbappé penalty settles tense last-16 tie

France beat Paraguay 1-0 in their World Cup last-16 match, with Kylian Mbappé scoring the only goal from a second-half penalty. The result sends France into a quarter-final against Morocco.

The decisive moment came after Désiré Doué, introduced from the bench, drove into the area and was brought down by Diego Gomez. The referee initially did not award a foul, but a VAR review led to a penalty, which Mbappé converted by sending Orlando Gill the wrong way.

Paraguay’s compact, physical approach made the match awkward for France, especially in the heat in Philadelphia. The reported foul count was close — 13 by Paraguay and 11 by France — but the disciplinary split was striking, with France shown three yellow cards and Paraguay none.

Gill kept Paraguay in reach with several saves, including a late double stop from Mbappé, but France had enough control to survive a difficult knockout match. For editors, the key angle is not just France advancing, but how they adapted when the game became slower, more physical and less fluent than expected.