Having breezed past Sweden a few days ago, Didier Deschamps's men took on Paraguay last night, after La Albirroja had arguably created the shock of the tournament by beating Germany on penalties in the previous round.
Despite dominating proceedings from the very first whistle, Les Bleus found themselves thwarted by the South American side's defensive solidity in the opening 45' and therefore went in goalless at the break. 25 minutes into the second half, though, Kylian Mbappé broke the deadlock from the penalty spot after Désiré Doué had been fouled inside the box, and, thanks to their superiority in every department, the French held onto their lead and booked their place in the quarter-finals, where they'll meet Morocco at Foxborough's Gillette Stadium next Thursday.
After being named in France's starting XI, Bradley Barcola was replaced on the hour mark by the aforementioned Doué, while Ousmane Dembélé made way for Rayan Cherki in the closing stages. As for Lucas Hernandez and Warren Zaïre-Emery, these two Paris players remained on the bench throughout.
FIFA World Cup 2026 – Last 16
Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia, United States)
Goal: Mbappé (70').
PARAGUAY: Gill, Cáceres, Velázquez, G. Gómez, Alderete (Canale, 58'), Alonso, Almirón (Ávalos, 72'), D. Gómez (Maurício, 71'), Cubas, Galarza, Enciso (Caballero, 61'). Coach: Gustavo Alfaro.
FRANCE: Maignan, Koundé, Upamecano, Digne, Koné, Rabiot, Dembélé (Cherki, 84'), Olise, Barcola (Doué, 61'), Mbappé. Coach: Didier Deschamps.
