Mbappé Nets Golden Goal as France Advances Past Paraguay
Kylian Mbappé scored a penalty in the 70th minute to lead France past Paraguay 1-0 in a 2026 World Cup round-of-16 match in Philadelphia, advancing France to the quarterfinals.
In the 2026 World Cup round-of-16 match on the morning of July 5, 2569 at Philadelphia Stadium in the United States, Paraguay faced France. France dominated possession and attacked more than expected, while Paraguay played an organized, defensive approach by sitting deep. This made it difficult for France to break through Paraguay's defensive line. The turning point came in the 70th minute when France earned a penalty kick, which Kylian Mbappé converted flawlessly to give France a 1-0 lead. This was Mbappé's seventh goal of the tournament, taking the golden boot lead over Argentina's Lionel Messi, who has scored six goals, though Mbappé has two assists to his credit. It was also Mbappé's 19th goal in World Cup history across all tournaments. In the remaining time, Paraguay opened up their attack to seek an equalizer, while France controlled the ball and managed the tempo of the match, occasionally launching counterattacks. The final score remained 1-0, with France advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup. France will face Morocco on July 9, 2569 at 03:00 (early morning on July 10, 2569).