PHILADELPHIA : Kylian Mbappe scored a second-half penalty as France battled through sweltering conditions to edge Paraguay 1-0 on Saturday, booking a World Cup quarter-final showdown with Morocco.
Mbappe’s 70th-minute spot kick, his seventh goal of the tournament and 19th in World Cup history, spared France from suffering the kind of upset that had claimed Germany earlier in the competition and nearly caught Argentina.
“We knew what kind of match we were going to have,” Mbappe said. “If we have to get our hands dirty, we can do that. We can play ugly football. They thought we would turn up in tuxedos, but we were there.”
France dominated possession but struggled to create clear openings against Paraguay’s disciplined defensive setup in temperatures that climbed to 39 degrees Celsius (102.2°F).
With Aurelien Tchouameni ruled out before kickoff through injury, coach Didier Deschamps brought in Manu Kone to partner Adrien Rabiot in midfield.
Neither side managed a shot on target in a cagey first half as France found it difficult to break down Paraguay’s compact 5-4-1 formation.
The breakthrough finally arrived after halftime when substitute Desire Doue was brought down in the penalty area by Diego Gomez. Following a VAR review, referee Ilgiz Tantashev pointed to the spot.
Mbappe calmly converted the penalty, sending goalkeeper Orlando Gill the wrong way to give France the decisive advantage.
Paraguay mounted late pressure, forcing Mike Maignan into his first save of the match in the closing minutes, while Gill denied Mbappe twice in stoppage time to keep the contest alive.
France ultimately held firm to secure a place in the last eight, where they will face Morocco in a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final.
