France national football team kept their dream of winning a second World Cup title in eight years alive after battling to a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay national football team in a tense last-16 clash in Philadelphia.
After producing dominant displays throughout the tournament, France were forced to show a different side of their game as they overcame a stubborn and physical Paraguay side to book a quarter-final meeting with Morocco national football team.
Paraguay had captured the attention of football fans after eliminating Germany national football team on penalties in the previous round. However, their encounter with France was marked by several heated moments in the difficult conditions.
Paraguay midfielder Andres Cubas escaped punishment after a heavy challenge on Adrien Rabiot, while defender Juan Jose Caceres was also not sanctioned after kicking out at France captain Kylian Mbappe.
In contrast, France players Manu Kone, Bradley Barcola and Michael Olise all received yellow cards, while Paraguay finished the match without a single booking despite several controversial incidents.
The breakthrough finally arrived with 20 minutes remaining when substitute Desire Doue was brought down inside the penalty area by Diego Gomez. Referee Ilgiz Tantashev initially waved play on but changed his decision after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor.
Paraguay players attempted to delay the spot-kick, with defender Gustavo Velazquez reportedly trying to damage the penalty spot. However, Mbappe remained calm and converted the penalty to score his seventh goal of the tournament, drawing level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot award.
France manager Didier Deschamps criticised some of Paraguay’s conduct after the match.
“There were some insults from the other bench we could have done without,” Deschamps said.
The tension continued after the final whistle as players from both sides became involved in a confrontation, with Velazquez attempting to challenge several France players.
Despite the difficult contest, France secured their place in the quarter-finals and will now turn their attention to a highly anticipated clash against Morocco in Boston on Thursday.
