Kylian Mbappe converted from the spot for his 19th World Cup goal and seventh of this tournament as France outlasted Paraguay to reach the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory on Saturday in a steamy round of 16 encounter.
With the penalty, earned by substitute Desire Doue’s slaloming run into the area, Mbappe pulled even with Argentina’s Lionel Messi atop the 2026 Golden Boot leaderboard and moved within one of the 39-year-old for the all-time World Cup goals lead.
It was all Les Bleus needed against a resilient but limited Albirroja side, who defended admirably in sweltering conditions with temperatures nearing 100 Fahrenheit while offering little going forward.
France advance to meet Morocco next Thursday in Foxborough, Mass., in a rematch of the 2022 semifinal that ended in a 2-0 French victory.
