France defeated a tough Paraguay to pass the toughest test of the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far.
France defeated Paraguay 0-1 in the pre-quarterfinal stage of the FIFA World Cup, with Mbappe scoring the only goal for France on a penalty kick, taking Mbappe’s goal tally to 7 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The game was not very exciting and it took time to decide, but Kylian Mbappe’s penalty goal in the 70th minute ended the deadlock. In fact, due to the intense heat, the match took a long time to pick up pace, while the first half saw constant fouls, bitter exchanges and a tough competition between the two teams. Only 5 shots were taken in the first half, while the combined XG (expected goals) of both teams was just 0.20 (Paraguay 0.05, France 0.15).
France finally got a penalty when Paraguayan Diego Gomez brought down substitute Dzieghe Doy in the penalty area. After a lengthy review by VAR, referee Algiz Tantashev signaled the penalty. Mbappe stepped up to take the penalty and miscued goalkeeper Orlando Gil to slot home the winning goal of the match.
It was Mbappe’s seventh goal of the World Cup, moving him level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. With this, Mbappe has become only the second player after Messi to score 7 or more goals in two different World Cups (2022 and 2026).
France’s next match will be against Morocco in Boston on Thursday, July 9.
