PHILADELPHIA, July 5 - Kylian Mbappé scored from the penalty spot as France defeated Paraguay 1-0 to book its place in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup on Saturday.
Xinhua reported that, in a match with few clear chances, Paraguay held firm in defence for 70 minutes before France finally broke the deadlock with an Mbappé penalty to claim the win.
France reached the round of 16 after topping Group I with a perfect record, recording victories over Senegal, Iraq, and Norway before defeating Sweden 3-0 in the round of 32.
Meanwhile, Paraguay advanced to the round of 16 by stunning four-time world champions Germany 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw, one of the biggest upsets of the tournament so far.
It once again adopted a deep defensive approach, lining up in a 5-4-1 formation, while France, with its star-studded attacking line-up, dominated from the outset and kept its opponents pinned back in their own half.
France controlled most of the possession in the first half under the scorching sun but produced very few threatening attempts on goal.
Adrien Rabiot and Manu Koné both tried their luck from distance in the 32nd and 42nd minutes, respectively, but neither effort troubled the goalkeeper.
The turning point came in the 70th minute when France substitute Désiré Doué was brought down in the penalty area by Diego Gómez.
After a video assistant referee review, the referee awarded a penalty, which Mbappé converted to give France the lead.
He came close in stoppage time but could not double France's advantage.
France will meet Morocco in the quarter-finals after the latter beat Canada 3-0 in another round-of-16 fixture.
