PHILADELPHIA, USA (EFE). The France national team secured its qualification for the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup this Saturday after defeating Paraguay 1-0 in a highly contested match, decided by a penalty converted by Kylian Mbappé.
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The team led by Didier Deschamps encountered enormous difficulties in breaking down the solid defensive approach of the Paraguayan team, which opted for a five-man defensive line and kept its players deep for much of the match.
With temperatures exceeding 40 degrees, France dominated ball possession, but failed to create space until the entry of Désiré Doué in the second half. The young attacker revolutionized the match and, in the 70th minute, drew a foul inside the box after being brought down by Diego Gómez.
After reviewing the play on the VAR, the Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev signaled the penalty. Mbappé took the responsibility and beat the goalkeeper Orlando Gill, who had been the Paraguayan star in the penalty shootout against Germany in the previous round.
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With his goal, the French striker reached seven goals in the 2026 World Cup, tying Argentina’s Lionel Messi as the tournament’s top scorer.
France will now face Morocco in the quarterfinals, in a duel scheduled for July 9, which will be a rematch of one of the semifinals of the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Paraguay, which had surprised by eliminating Germany in the previous phase, said goodbye to the tournament after offering fierce resistance against one of the main title contenders.
