Mbappe winner score, France beat Paraguay 1-0 to set up World Cup quarterfinal clash with Morocco.

Mbappé Fires France into World Cup Quarter-Finals with Hard-Fought Win over Paraguay

Kylian Mbappé's second-half penalty proved decisive as France edged Paraguay 1-0 to book their place in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals. The French captain netted his 19th goal in 19 World Cup appearances, keeping his cool from the spot in a tense and fiery contest.

The victory sets up a blockbuster quarter-final clash with Morocco, a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final that France won 2-0.

Paraguay frustrated Les Bleus throughout, limiting their attacking chances in a physical encounter. France failed to register a shot in the opening 20 minutes, while Manu Koné and Adrien Rabiot came closest before halftime in a match lacking clear-cut opportunities.

The breakthrough arrived in the 70th minute when substitute Désiré Doué won a VAR-awarded penalty after being fouled by Diego Gómez. Despite Paraguay's attempts to disrupt him, Mbappé confidently converted, becoming the highest-scoring player in World Cup knockout history with 11 goals.

Paraguay nearly forced extra time, but Mike Maignan produced a crucial late save, while goalkeeper Orlando Gill denied Mbappé twice in stoppage time. France ultimately held firm to secure a narrow victory and set up a mouthwatering showdown against Morocco.

Keywords: France vs Paraguay, Kylian Mbappé, France World Cup, FIFA World Cup Quarter-Finals, Mbappé penalty, Morocco vs France, World Cup knockout stage, France football.

France advances to FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals, Stats, facts, records

Today against France, Paraguay didn’t pick up a single card in a World Cup match for the first time since 1998 against Nigeria.

France’s Kylian Mbappé scored his 19th FIFA World Cup goal, only Lionel Messi (20) has scored more, while he netted his 11th knockout stage goal, at least three more than any other player in the competition’s history.

Paraguay completed just 54% of their passes (99/183), the lowest passing accuracy in a FIFA World Cup knockout match on record (since 1966).

This was France’s eighth FIFA World Cup victory against a South American team, only Brazil (10) and Germany (15) have won more matches in the competition against CONMEBOL sides.

France are through to their ninth FIFA World Cup quarter-final, only Brazil (15), Germany (14) and England (10) have reached this round more often...

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