Mbappé leads France to 1-0 win over Paraguay and into quarter-finals

Kylian Mbappé scored from the spot to give France a tight 1-0 win against Paraguay on Saturday, which was enough to lead his nation to the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

>The Real Madrid star scored his seventh goal of the tournament in the 70th minute after Desire Doue was brought down inside the box by Diego Gomez.

>The penalty wasn't initially given to France, but after video review, the referee changed his decision.

>France will now face Morocco, whom they met in the semi-finals of Qatar 2022. Morocco earlier defeated co-hosts Canada 3-0.

>"We're really looking forward to facing them because we know they're a very good team," Mbappé said.

>Mbappé is tied with Messi for most goals at this tournament. Messi is the all-time World Cup top scorer with 20 goals, while Mbappé is right behind with 19.

>His goal for France was also their 150th in the history of the World Cup. They are just the fourth team to reach the milestone after Brazil, Germany and Argentina.

>Paraguay say farewell to the competition after stunning Germany in the round of 32 in a 4-3 win on penalties and putting up a real challenge against France.

>Under intense heat, with temperatures reaching 38 degrees Celsius, France had a frustrating game. There were no shots on target in the first half, with the French ending the match with only five in total.

>"I think it was really good for us to experience a game like that and to see how we handled it. We showed that we're not just a team capable of playing attacking football," Mbappé said.

>France dominated possession, but struggled to find a way through Paraguay's defence. And even when they managed to - like Mbappé did in stoppage time - they still had to face goalkeeper Orlando Gill.

>"It wasn't easy. If we'd taken one of our chances late in the game, it would have been a much more comfortable finish. Paraguay use every trick in the book. It's not necessarily the kind of football people enjoy watching, but we stayed focused and that's not easy to do," France coach Didier Deschamps said.

>"They're a physical side and they defend very well. It's another important step forward. It's always difficult against South American teams, but I'm delighted that the players got the job done. We're into the quarter-finals and we have to enjoy that."