Mbappé Sends France Into the Last Eight With Cool Penalty

France made hard work of it but Kylian Mbappé delivered when it mattered most, slotting home a penalty to send Les Bleus into the World Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over Paraguay, according to The Guardian.

The match was played in punishing heat in Philadelphia, which dulled the pace of what was already likely to be a cagey affair. France dominated possession without truly troubling Paraguay in the first half. The breakthrough finally came when substitute Desire Doue was brought down inside the box and the referee, after a visit to the monitor, pointed to the spot. Reuters reports that Mbappé stepped up and rolled the ball to the left as the goalkeeper dived right.

Mbappé was characteristically direct afterwards. Reuters reports he said the team knew what kind of match they were in for and were ready to get their hands dirty, adding that France were still the better side on the night.

The result sets up a fascinating quarter-final repeat of the 2022 semi-final between France and Morocco, with the Atlas Lions having knocked out co-hosts Canada on the same day. France did lose Aurelien Tchouameni to a muscle issue before kick-off, adding another selection puzzle for their coaching staff heading into the last eight.