Kylian Mbappé scores again and France reaches World Cup quarterfinals with 1-0 win over Paraguay

Kylian Mbappé scored his nineteenth profession World Cup purpose, and France survived stifling warmth to beat Paraguay 1-0 on Saturday (July 4, 2026), sending Les Bleus into the quarterfinals for the fourth straight time.

France superior to play Morocco on Thursday (July 9, 2026) in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

With an excessive warmth warning in impact all through the match as temperatures hovered round 38°C, Mbappé lastly broke via in opposition to a bodily, defensive-minded Paraguay aspect when he transformed a penalty kick within the seventieth minute.

That was sufficient for Les Bleus, whose crimson, white and blue-clad followers appeared loads patriotic on July Fourth in Philadelphia, the place the US was based precisely 250 years earlier.

Mbappé was awarded the penalty when Diego Gomez was referred to as for tripping after a video evaluation. Then he stutter-stepped on his strategy to his nineteenth purpose in 19 World Cup appearances, one behind profession file holder Lionel Messi of Argentina. Mbappé and Messi every have seven targets on this event to prime the Golden Boot race.

Mbappé received that award 4 years in the past in Qatar, however Messi and Argentina beat France within the closing.

Mbappé botched a breakaway try within the second half, and Manu Koné had his top-corner shot knocked away by goalkeeper Orlando Gill after he was worn out within the netting by Ousmane Dembélé solely moments earlier.

Gill additionally stopped two sturdy makes an attempt by Mbappé in second-half stoppage time.