France struggles past Paraguay after Mbappé's penalty and reaches the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals
Kylian Mbappé has shot France to the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup with a converted penalty against a tough Paraguay. Despite a difficult match full of upheavals and tough duels, Didier Deschamps' team ultimately managed to make the difference and will now face Morocco in the next round.
At the 2026 World Cup, France barely managed to defeat a stiff Paraguay. In hot Philadelphia, the team of national coach Didier Deschamps recorded a narrow 1-0 win, which only came about after Kylian Mbappé used a penalty after halftime.
The match was mainly characterized by few chances and many physical duels. Paraguay, which previously eliminated Germany on penalties, once again opted for a compact defensive tactic in the hope of going to penalties. The French attacking line, normally so sparkling, barely got through Paraguay's five-man defense and had to adjust the pace to the scorching heat in the stadium.
Ultimately, substitute Désiré Doué made a breakthrough. Four minutes after coming on, the young Frenchman was brought down in the penalty area by Diego Gomez. Mbappé then scored impeccably to take his World Cup tally to 19 goals, including 11 in the knockout stages—a statistic that puts him level with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Paraguay showed little else in an attacking sense. Brighton player Julio Enciso tried with some solo actions, but received little support and was substituted after an hour of play. The match grew grimmer as time passed; numerous disturbances escaped the attention of the Russian referee Ilgiz Tantashev, who handed out surprisingly few yellow cards. The numbers spoke volumes: Paraguay did not receive a single card, while France received three.
Deschamps once again proved his worth as national coach with strong substitutions at the right time. France will meet Morocco in the semi-finals. It is remarkable that this victory is reminiscent of the 1998 World Cup, when Les Bleus also reached the next round with a minimal victory over Paraguay - and ultimately won the tournament.
The following applies to France: not always beautiful, but effective. The road to possibly another world title remains open.
Related Articles
Related articles
Related articles
Teams
Álvaro Núñez na nederlaag van Celta bij Omonia
Álvaro Núñez reageert na Celta’s nederlaag bij Omonia Nicosia: te weinig kansen, grote efficiëntieproblemen en de noodzaak om zaterdag tegen Racing de Santander de ban te breken. Sergio Carreira roept het team op een stap naar voren te zetten.
Teams
Deze amateurclubs zijn van de partij in de eerste ronde van
Met vier direct geplaatste teams en veertien kwalificanten is het deelnemersveld voor de KNVB Beker grotendeels bekend. De loting voor de eerste ronde volgt vrijdag, waarbij ook clubs uit de Keuken Kampioen Divisie en Eredivisie instromen.
Teams
Laatste getuige in Maradona-proces: dood door covid-19 valt
Forensisch expert Pablo Ferrari, als laatste getuige gehoord in het proces rond de dood van Diego Maradona, stelt dat covid-19 als doodsoorzaak niet kan worden uitgesloten omdat bij de autopsie geen test is gedaan. Zijn visie wijkt af van eerdere experts en kan belangrijk zijn voor de verdediging van arts Leopoldo Luque.
Teams
Cristiano Ronaldo opent zich over kritiek tijdens Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo reageerde tijdens het Portugal Football Summit op de aanhoudende kritiek die hij als topspeler ervaart. Ondanks de meningen van critici blijft hij zich gesteund voelen door zijn fans en blijft hij gefocust op zijn prestaties op het veld.