New Delhi [India], July 5 (ANI): Chaos unfolded during France’s round of 16 clash against Paraguay early Sunday, while Morocco also made history as both the Kylian Mbappe-led side, and the 2022 semifinalists were the first ones to make it to the quarterfinals of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026.
A penalty conversion from Mbappe was the point of difference as France edged past Paraguay 1-0 in a highly-intense physical match-up, which saw tempers flaring up on both sides, and Morocco also continued their fine run in the tournament with a 3-0 win over co-hosts Canada earlier on Saturday.
-France vs Paraguay
A second-half penalty from Kylian Mbappe proved decisive as France edged past a determined Paraguay 1-0 in a hard-fought FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash at Lincoln Financial Field to book their place in the quarter-finals, where they will face Morocco.
Having breezed through the group stage, Didier Deschamps’ side encountered their toughest challenge of the tournament against a disciplined Paraguay outfit that had stunned Germany in the previous round.
The South Americans frustrated France throughout the fiercely contested opening half, combining compact defending with relentless work rate to deny the two-time world champions clear opportunities.
France dominated possession from the outset, controlling more than 80 per cent of the ball during the early exchanges, but Paraguay’s organised defensive shape ensured Les Bleus struggled to create meaningful chances.
Julio Enciso led Paraguay’s pressing effort with an energetic display, while the defence restricted France to just five attempts before the interval.
The first half was notable for its lack of clear-cut opportunities, becoming only the third FIFA World Cup knockout match since 1966 to end the opening 45 minutes without a single shot on target. Tempers also flared midway through the half when Mbappe reacted after being challenged by Andres Cubas, triggering a mass confrontation involving players from both teams.
France returned after the break with greater urgency as soaring temperatures added another layer of difficulty to the contest. Midfielder Manu Kone finally forced Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill into action with a powerful long-range strike that was tipped over the crossbar.
The breakthrough arrived in the 66th minute following the introduction of Desire Doue. The Paris Saint-Germain forward made an immediate impact, weaving past three defenders before being brought down inside the penalty area by Diego Gomez.
Mbappe remained composed despite Paraguay’s attempts to delay the restart and calmly converted the resulting spot-kick into the bottom corner to hand France the lead.
Paraguay pushed forward in search of an equaliser during the closing stages, while France expertly managed the game to protect their slender advantage.
Mbappe nearly added a second goal deep into stoppage time, but Gill produced an excellent double save to keep his side in contention.
The narrow victory sends France into the quarter-finals after overcoming their sternest examination of the tournament, with an intriguing showdown against Morocco now awaiting Les Bleus in the last eight.
Following the match, Mbappe expressed his frustration with the “dirty" football his opponents played and how they conducted themselves as players.
Speaking to the host broadcasters after the match, Mbappe said, “I think we knew what kind of match we were going to have, but I think today it’s very good. The match we had, how we played it. We showed that we weren’t just a team that knew how to play offensive football. If we have to get our hands dirty (‘put our hands in the sh*t), we’re going to get our hands dirty, sorry for the expression. We don’t have a problem with that."
He added, “They thought we were going to come playing in tuxedos, that we were just going to come and do beautiful moves, one-twos. We know how to play dirty football, too. And we did it today, we won, and even in that, we were better than them."
France head coach Didier Deschamps said Paraguay used “every trick in the book" during their match, while praising his players for staying composed in a hard-fought 1-0 victory that sent Les Bleus into the quarterfinals.
Deschamps said he had instructed his players to protect striker Kylian Mbappe, anticipating physical challenges from the opposition.
“I asked the two biggest lads to go and stand around Kylian at the end because they were going to chop him down," Deschamps said, as quoted by Reuters.
The France coach acknowledged Paraguay’s disciplined defensive performance but criticised their approach, saying it made for an unattractive contest.
“It was not easy. They use every trick in the book. It’s not the kind of football that will bring people to the stadium, but they defended well. It is always difficult against these South American teams," he said, as quoted by Reuters.
-Canada vs Morocco
The FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash between Canada and Morocco produced the most ill-disciplined contest of the tournament so far, with the referee showing eight yellow cards and awarding 38 fouls as the Atlas Lions secured a commanding 3-0 victory to become the first team to reach the quarter-finals.
The eight cautions surpassed the previous tournament high of seven yellow cards shown during the group-stage meeting between Egypt and Iran, underlining the intensity of the knockout encounter.
Beyond the disciplinary record, Morocco continued to make history with another landmark World Cup performance. The Atlas Lions became the first African nation to reach the quarter-finals of two FIFA World Cup editions, having also achieved the feat in Qatar in 2022.
They have now progressed from four World Cup knockout matches overall, equalling the combined total of all other African nations, with Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002), Ghana (2010) and Egypt (2026) each having one knockout progression.
Azzedine Ounahi starred with a second-half brace, becoming the first Moroccan player to score twice in a World Cup match since Salaheddine Bassir netted a double against Scotland in the 1998 tournament.
According to Opta Analyst, the right-back Achraf Hakimi also etched his name into the record books after providing the assist for Morocco’s opening goal from a cleverly worked free-kick.
It was his third FIFA World Cup assist, with only Daley Blind, Denzel Dumfries and Cafu recording more among defenders since 1966, all with four.
Brahim Diaz enjoyed a record-breaking outing as well, supplying two assists in the match to take his overall World Cup tally to four, the most by any African player in the tournament’s history.
Morocco’s victory was built on a clinical second-half display after surviving sustained Canadian pressure before the break. Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made key saves to deny Tani Oluwaseyi and Tajon Buchanan, while Achraf Hakimi’s set-piece delivery allowed Ounahi to break the deadlock early in the second half.
Ounahi doubled the lead after combining with Brahim Diaz on a swift counterattack before Soufiane Rahimi added a third goal with virtually the final kick of the match.
The result extended Morocco’s unbeaten run to 10 matches and improved their record to seven wins from their last nine knockout fixtures in major international tournaments.
For Canada, the defeat brought an end to a memorable campaign. The co-hosts remain without a victory in nine FIFA World Cup matches when conceding the opening goal, with one draw and eight defeats, despite reaching the knockout stage for the first time in their history. (ANI)
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