The French national team secured qualification to the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup at the expense of Paraguay thanks to a goal by Kylian Mbappe.
The match between France and Paraguay was held at "Lincoln Financial Field" as part of the round of 16 of the World Cup.
Line-up for the France vs. Paraguay match
France entered the match with a line-up consisting of: "Mike Maignan, Jules Kounde, Upamecano, William Saliba, Lucas Digne, Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot, Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Kylian Mbappe."
Paraguay's line-up was as follows: "Orlando Gil, Juan Caceres, Gustavo Gomez, Omar Alderete, Gustavo Velazquez, Junior Alonso, Diego Gomez, Adrian Cubas, Matias Galarza, Miguel Almiron, Julio Enciso."
The French team imposed its control over the events of the first half amid defensive retreat by Paraguay.
The first half was scarce in terms of opportunities, with attempts from France but to no avail.
Despite the strong pressure from the French players, there were no dangerous opportunities, ending the first half in a goalless draw.
At the beginning of the second half, France's pressure continued, with a powerful shot from Rabiot going over Paraguay's goal in the 50th minute.
Another dangerous opportunity came for France in the 55th minute after a powerful shot by Kone from outside the penalty area, but the Paraguay goalkeeper brilliantly saved it.
Mbappe secures qualification with a penalty kick
The 66th minute witnessed the moment that changed the match with the fall of French player Doui inside the penalty area, and the players demanded a penalty kick.
The referee returned to video technology to review the incident and confirmed the validity of the penalty kick in favor of France.
Kylian Mbappe successfully scored the penalty kick brilliantly against Paraguay, giving France a 1-0 lead in the 70th minute.
The French team became the fourth team in history to reach 150 goals in the World Cup after Brazil with 246, Germany with 243, and Argentina with 163.
In the 89th minute, France almost added a second goal after a run by Mbappe and a powerful shot from inside the penalty area, but the Paraguay goalkeeper brilliantly saved it.
France missed a certain goal in the 90+6 minute after a long pass and reception by Doui, who passed the ball to Mbappe, then a powerful shot from inside the penalty area, but the goalkeeper saved it, and the ball rebounded with another shot from Mbappe, and the Paraguay goalkeeper excelled for the second time and saved his goal.
The match ended with a difficult victory for the French team over Paraguay with a score of 1-0, qualifying the Roosters to the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup.
The French team sets a date with Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals at 11:00 PM next Thursday.
