France national football team have advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals after a narrow 1-0 victory over Paraguay in their Round of 16 clash, with Kylian Mbappé once again playing a decisive role.
France will now face Morocco in the next round after the North African side produced a dominant 3-0 win over Canada to eliminate the co-hosts from the tournament.
Mbappé scored the only goal of the match from the penalty spot, a strike that also marked France’s 150th World Cup goal—making them only the fourth nation in history to reach that milestone, alongside Brazil, Germany, and Argentina.
The victory also extended France’s winning streak to five consecutive World Cup matches, the first time in the nation’s history they have achieved such a run. Mbappé continues to climb the all-time World Cup scoring charts, now with 19 goals—just one behind Lionel Messi’s record of 20.
Statistically, Mbappé has also become the only player to score three or more knockout-stage goals in three separate World Cups, further cementing his status as one of the tournament’s most prolific performers.
France manager Didier Deschamps also reached a record 10 World Cup knockout wins in charge, the most in the competition’s history.
On the losing side, Paraguay struggled to maintain possession, completing only 99 passes—the lowest recorded in a World Cup knockout match. Their passing accuracy stood at just 54%, one of the weakest performances recorded at this stage of the competition in modern history.
The result sets up a high-profile quarterfinal clash between France and Morocco, with both sides entering the match in strong form and carrying impressive tournament momentum.
