France beat Paraguay with Mbappe penalty to reach World Cup quarter-finals

France needed a second-half Kylian Mbappe penalty to break down a stubborn Paraguay side on Saturday, winning a niggly World Cup last-16 clash 1-0 to set up a quarter-final showdown with Morocco.

Paraguay’s efforts to get under the skin of France’s superstars worked for three quarters of a game played in front of 68 324 fans in Philadelphia in heatwave conditions.

However, the quality in the French ranks eventually shone through, with Mbappe converting from the spot on 70 minutes after Desire Doue was brought down.

This was not an attacking masterclass by the French like they had produced in their previous games, but Paraguay did not allow them to play that way.

It was very much a mismatch, though, with Les Bleus having almost all of the ball and Paraguay not managing a shot on target until the 90th minute.

Mbappe’s brilliant World Cup on a personal level continued as he rejoined Lionel Messi as the tournament’s joint-top scorer with seven goals.