France player ratings vs Paraguay: Kylian Mbappe makes no mistake from the spot to draw level with Lionel Messi again - but les Bleus' stellar forward line fails to impress in laboured last-16 win
France defeated Paraguay 1-0 in a World Cup round-of-16 match thanks to a Kylian Mbappe penalty. Despite the win, the French team struggled to create offensive opportunities throughout the game.
Why it matters
The result advances France to the quarter-finals, where they will face Morocco in a high-stakes tournament match.
Kylian Mbappe scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot as France progressed to the quarter-finals of the World Cup with a laboured 1-0 win over an aggressive and cynical Paraguay side on Saturday evening. The South Americans, who upset Germany in the previous round, were always expected to make for awkward and uncompromising opponents for the tournament favourites but it was nonetheless surprising just how much Didier Deschamps' stellar forward line struggled to create chances in Philadelphia.
The article provides a standard sports match report focusing on player performance and game events without political or social bias.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in