France booked their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay, overcoming a physical and ill-tempered contest in Philadelphia.
After impressing throughout the tournament, Les Bleus were forced to battle for the win against a Paraguay side that had stunned Germany in the previous round. However, the South Americans drew criticism for their aggressive approach, with several heavy challenges and off-the-ball incidents escaping punishment.
Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart labelled Paraguay’s behaviour “an absolute disgrace,” while pundit Micah Richards said the team’s antics were “embarrassing,” insisting they did not need to resort to such tactics after an otherwise disciplined defensive display.
The decisive moment came in the 70th minute when Desire Doue was brought down inside the penalty area by Diego Gomez. After reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor, referee Ilgiz Tantashev awarded a penalty, despite protests from Paraguay players who attempted to delay the spot-kick.
Kylian Mbappe calmly converted the penalty to score his seventh goal of the tournament, drawing level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot and sending France into the last eight.
Tempers remained high after the final whistle, with another confrontation breaking out between players. France coach Didier Deschamps also revealed there had been insults from the Paraguay bench during the match. France will now face Morocco in the quarter-finals as they continue their pursuit of a second World Cup title in eight years.
