France Beat Paraguay as Mbappé Penalty Secures Quarter-final Spot

France Beat Paraguay as Mbappé Penalty Secures Quarter-final Spot
Paraguay frustrated France before conceding a decisive second-half penalty.
France will face Morocco in the quarter-finals of the tournament.

Kylian Mbappé scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot as France secured a hard fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay to book a place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that France struggled to break down Paraguay’s disciplined defence for much of the contest before Mbappé converted a second-half penalty to seal victory in a match that produced few clear-cut scoring opportunities.

The French side advanced to the round of 16 after finishing top of Group I with a perfect record, recording victories over Senegal, Iraq and Norway before defeating Sweden 3-0 in the round of 32.

Paraguay reached the knockout stage after producing one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, eliminating four-time world champions Germany 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.

The South Americans once again adopted a defensive approach, lining up in a 5-4-1 formation to frustrate the French attack, while France dominated possession from the opening whistle and kept Paraguay pinned inside their own half for long periods.

Despite enjoying most of the ball in the first half, France found it difficult to create meaningful chances under the scorching conditions.

Adrien Rabiot and Manu Koné both tested their luck from long range in the 32nd and 42nd minutes respectively, but neither effort troubled the Paraguayan goalkeeper.

The breakthrough eventually came in the 70th minute when France substitute Désiré Doué was brought down inside the penalty area by Diego Gómez.

Following a review by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), the referee pointed to the penalty spot, and Mbappé calmly converted to hand France the lead.

The captain nearly doubled France’s advantage in stoppage time but was unable to find the target, as Didier Deschamps’ side held on to secure a place in the last eight.