Kylian Mbappé netted the decisive goal from the penalty spot as France triumphed over Paraguay with a 1-0 victory in the< a data-league-guid="34f478c4-cf9a-35da-abd5-33db021e09d2" href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/worldcup/">World Cup round of 16 match held in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Despite Paraguay’s tough, physical approach making it challenging for France, Mbappé found the back of the net with a penalty in the second half.
As an extreme heat advisory loomed over the match with temperatures nearing 100°F (38°C), the breakthrough for France came when Mbappé converted a penalty kick in the 70th minute against a well-organized Paraguay defense.
The penalty was awarded after a collision between Diego Gómez and Désiré Doué, confirmed by VAR. Mbappé stepped up to accomplish the task and opened the scoring.
“I reminded my players that playing into their hands would lead to defeat,” France coach Didier Deschamps stated. “I urged them to stay calm and refrain from any rash reactions, especially since we already had three yellow cards.”
Next, France will face Morocco in the quarterfinals on Thursday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, after Morocco’s impressive 3-0 win over co-hosts Canada on the same day.
Mbappé had a missed chance on a breakaway in the second half, while Manu Koné saw his powerful shot saved by Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill, who had just been involved in a contentious moment in the netting with Ousmane Dembélé.
Gill also thwarted two major attempts by Mbappé during stoppage time in the second half.
With his penalty, Mbappé reached seven goals in the 2026 World Cup, putting him alongside Argentina‘s Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, although he remains one behind Messi’s all-time World Cup tally of 20 goals.
Although he nearly matched Messi’s total, his long-range effort just two minutes from time was deflected away by Gill. In stoppage time, Gill made two spectacular saves to deny Mbappé once again.
Both Mbappé and Messi are now the only players to have scored at least seven goals in two different World Cups.
Mbappé previously won the Golden Boot four years ago in Qatar, but Messi and Argentina emerged victorious in the final against France.
Following them in the 2026 Golden Boot race with five goals each are Norway’s Erling Haaland and England‘s Harry Kane.
Despite concerns that hydration breaks might slow the game’s tempo, they proved crucial during this sweltering heat wave, with sprinklers used on the Kentucky bluegrass field during breaks and halftime.
Many of the over 68,000 spectators at Lincoln Financial Field took refuge at halftime, seeking shade from the scorching sun.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.