His lone goal from the spot seals them a 1-0 win over Paraguay
France booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay in a tense last-16 encounter at Philadelphia Stadium.
Paraguay frustrated Didier Deschamps’ side for much of the contest, limiting clear-cut chances and disrupting France’s rhythm with a disciplined defensive display. The first half produced few opportunities, with neither team managing a shot on target as Paraguay successfully kept Kylian Mbappé and company at bay.
France began to increase the pressure after the break and finally found the breakthrough in the 70th minute. Substitute Désiré Doué made an immediate impact, winning a penalty after being brought down in the box by Diego Gómez. Following a VAR review, referee Ilgiz Tantashev pointed to the spot, and Mbappé calmly converted, sending goalkeeper Orlando Gill the wrong way for his seventh goal of the tournament.
Paraguay responded with urgency and nearly forced an equaliser late on, but Mike Maignan produced an important save to deny Mauricio.
