Kylian Mbappe’s 70th-minute penalty gave France a 1-0 victory over Paraguay in an ill-tempered World Cup last-16 tie in Philadelphia to set up a quarter-final meeting with Morocco.
Mbappe converted his kick coolly despite Paraguayan attempts to put him off as he finally broke the South American side’s resistance and moved level with Lionel Messi on seven World Cup goals.
Paraguay, winners over Germany in the previous round, had defended stubbornly in the 39-degree heat up until then, restricting France, the tournament’s outstanding team so far, to long-range shots and succeeding in slowing the game down.
It took the introduction of Desire Doue for Bradley Barcola for France to find a way through. Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev waved away his penalty appeal initially after he was tripped by Diego Gomez but overturned the decision after a VAR check.
Paraguay players attempted to delay the penalty and scuff up the spot but Mbappe held his nerve to find the bottom corner.
Paraguay’s frustration spilled over with some reckless challenges in the closing stages, most of which went unpunished by the referee, who didn’t give Paraguay any bookings despite France’s protests and a series of confrontations between players which continued after the final whistle.
Mbappe, a target for Paraguay throughout, was denied a second goal by a superb double save from Orlando Gill in stoppage time and subsequently refused to shake the goalkeeper’s hand after Tantashev had called time on a combustible contest – and a bewildering refereeing performance.