Kylian Mbappe converted a penalty for France in 1-0 win over Paraguay in FIFA World Cup 2026 Round off 16 match on Saturday.
Published: July 5, 2026, 9:26 AM IST
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Kylian Mbappe (left) of France scores with a penalty vs Paraguay in FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match. (Photo: ANI)
Paraguay vs France FIFA World Cup 2026: Kylian Mbappe and France managed to keep their cool in an ill-tempered FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 contest against Paraguay at the Lincoln Financial Field Stadium in Philadelphia on Saturday to emerge victorious with a 1-0 margin and book their place in the quarterfinal. The 2018 World Cup winners will now go up against Morocco, who defeated co-hosts Canada 3-0, in the quarterfinal match at the Gillette Stadium in Boston on Thursday.
Mbappe was once again the hero of the win but was embroiled in a controversy after the win. In face of Paraguay’s relentless onslaught, the French captain chose to ignore Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill’s extended hand in a show of sportsmanship after the game. Gill in response threw the ball at Mbappe’s jersey.
WATCH Orlando Gill throw ball at Kylian Mbappe HERE…
A reação do Orlando Gil, goleiro do Paraguai, após Kylian Mbappé não cumprimentá-lo pic.twitter.com/EMoJaWLPFE
— LIBERTA DEPRE (@liberta___depre) July 5, 2026
Paraguay attempted to bait the French skipper and provoke fights but the 2022 World Cup runners-up kept their cool. The South American team surprisingly were not handed a single card throughout the match, making it the first such World Cup game for them since 1998 clash vs Nigeria.
Mbappe scored his 19th career World Cup goal and France survived stifling heat of Philadelphia to beat Paraguay 1-0 on Saturday, sending Les Bleus into the quarterfinals for the fourth straight time. “We knew what kind of match it was going to be. We can also get our hands dirty, we know how to do it. We know how to play ugly football. Guess they were thinking we were going to show up in tuxedos, but we were ready,” Mbappe was quoted as saying by AP news agency.
The current Golden Boot leader finally broke through against a physical Paraguay team when he converted a penalty kick in the 70th minute. Mbappe extended his record as the leading scorer in World Cup knockout game with his 11th goal. He also became the first player to score in the Round of 16 at three consecutive World Cup matches, having also found the back of the net in 2018 and 2022 editions.
Mbappe was awarded the penalty when Diego Gomez was called for tripping after a video review. He converted for his 19th goal in 19 World Cup appearances, one behind career record holder Lionel Messi of Argentina. Mbappe and Messi each have seven goals in this tournament to top the Golden Boot race but the Frenchman is in lead thanks to his two assists in the World Cup so far.
The Real Madrid striker had won the Golden Boot award four years ago, but Messi and Argentina beat France in the final. Mbappe is now the only player to score at least three goals in the knockout stage of three World Cups.
The 26-year-old Gill had trumped over German legend Manuel Neuer in a penalty shootout in the previous round. He lost his cool after the loss to France when he chucked the ball at Mbappe.
“I tried to shake his hand, but since he didn’t pay me any attention, I lost my temper. But anyway, that was all I did; I calmed down afterward,” Gill said after the match
The ‘Les Bleus’ have scored 13 goals in the first five games of the tournament but were kept in check the first half by a Paraguay team trying to turn the match into a fist fight. Tempers flared when Andres Cubas took down Mbappe and the teams briefly pushed and shoved each other. Matias Galarza also threw his right elbow into Mbappe and sent him crashing to the grass.
