Mbappé's late penalty propels France into quarter‑finals

France secured a place in the World Cup quarter‑finals after Kylian Mbappé converted a late penalty against Paraguay, giving the Les Bleus a 1‑0 victory. Mbappé’s seventh tournament goal, his 19th overall, broke the deadlock following a match in which France enjoyed 86.5% possession and 50.3% of play in the Paraguayan third. Didier Deschamps fielded his usual attacking line‑up, with Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola and Kylian Mbappé starting alongside the bench options Rayane Cherki and Désiré Doué. Paraguay responded with a five‑man back line, relying on the talents of Miguel Almirón, Julio Enciso and Matías Galarza. Despite dominating possession, France struggled to create clear chances early on. The first French attack came after the initial fifteen minutes, when Manu Koné’s pass to Aurélien Tchouameni was intercepted, and Adrien Rabiot’s subsequent strike flew wide.

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In the third quarter of the hour, both Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé generated opportunities, yet Paraguay’s defence held firm, leaving the score at 0‑0 at halftime. The second half saw France resume handball‑style attacks, with the goalkeeper making his first save at the 55th minute from a Manu Koné effort. Bradley Barcola later earned a penalty twenty minutes into added time, which Mbappé converted to put France ahead.

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Paraguay managed its first on‑target shot of the match but could not overturn the deficit, and a missed chance by Mbappé later in the game cemented the 1‑0 result. With the win, France will meet Morocco in the quarter‑finals, scheduled for Wednesday 9 July at 22:00.