CORNERFLICK
France beat Paraguay 1-0 in the World Cup round of 16 to reach the quarter-finals, where they will face Morocco in the first confirmed tie of the last eight.
Kylian Mbappé scored the only goal in the 70th minute from the penalty spot at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The spot-kick was awarded after Désiré Doué was brought down in the area and VAR overturned the original decision not to give it.
Paraguay stayed compact and deep throughout, limiting France to just 0.15 expected goals in the first half. Paraguay managed only 0.05 xG, and neither side had a shot on target before the break, making it only the third knockout match at a World Cup since 1966 to reach half-time without one.
France’s first effort on target came in the 55th minute through Manu Koné, while Mbappé almost added a second in stoppage time, only for goalkeeper Gíl to keep out two close-range attempts.
The goal was Mbappé’s 11th in World Cup knockout matches and his 19th at the tournament since 2018.