Mbappe penalty sends France past Paraguay into quarters
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- France beat Paraguay 1-0 in 38.3C Philadelphia heat — among the hottest World Cup matches on record — to set up a quarter-final against Morocco at Boston Stadium on Thursday (21:00 BST kick-off)
- Mbappe scored his seventh goal of the tournament from a penalty after Diego Gomez fouled Desire Doue, taking his career tally to 19 World Cup goals in 19 games and drawing level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race
- Paraguay went unbooked despite a catalogue of fouls: Andres Cubas clattered Adrien Rabiot, Juan Jose Caceres kicked at Mbappe, Gabriel Avalos dropped an elbow into Dayot Upamecano's stomach, and Gustavo Velazquez tried to scuff the penalty spot
- Three France players — Manu Kone, Bradley Barcola and Michael Olise — were cautioned, with Joe Hart telling BBC One the Paraguayan conduct was 'an absolute disgrace' and Micah Richards calling it 'embarrassing'
- Deschamps became the first coach to secure 10 World Cup knockout victories and revealed he sent 'the two biggest lads' to shield Mbappe in the closing stages, while Mbappe himself laughed off the provocation post-match
- Referee Ilgiz Tantashev of Uzbekistan was widely criticised for a weak display, with BBC analysis noting the opposite approach from Michael Oliver in the earlier Canada-Morocco tie, where six bookings calmed the game
Why it matters: France proved they can win ugly as well as beautiful, with Mbappe's composure under provocation standing alongside his 19th World Cup goal. Three French bookings against zero for Paraguay shows France absorbed the psychological and disciplinary pressure and still advanced — a template opponents must now plan against as the knockout rounds tighten.
