By Samuel Akpan
Ninety-two years and counting as France maintained their legendary unbeaten streak in World Cup Round-of-16 matchups with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Paraguay.
The victory in Philadelphia sends France to the quarter-finals and hands the spirited South Americans another round-of-16 exit—their fourth in their last six tournament runs.
The match, billed as a potential classic between tournament favourites and a resilient underdog, turned into a gruelling test of temperament.
Paraguay arrived with a clear plan to disrupt France through aggressive challenges, time-wasting and constant provocation, succeeding in frustrating Les Bleus for long spells.
Superior quality eventually told. Substitute Desire Doue won a penalty minutes after entering the pitch, and captain Kylian Mbappe calmly converted it despite Paraguay’s attempts to unsettle him at the spot.
The Real Madrid forward sent goalkeeper Orlando Gill the wrong way to secure the narrow win.
France dominated the ball and created far more, completing 510 passes to Paraguay’s 99 and registering 15 shots to five.
Yet Gustavo Alfaro’s men led in defensive actions, making 29 tackles to France’s 14, 14 interceptions to 10 and four blocks to one, while committing 13 fouls to 11.
The physical approach crossed into gamesmanship as Paraguay players targeted Mbappe relentlessly with late challenges, elbows and crowding, most notably as he prepared to take the penalty.
Referee Ilgiz Tantashev and his VAR team issued no yellow cards to any Paraguayan player, while booking three Frenchmen.
France’s players, led by Mbappe’s example of composure and even laughter in the face of provocation, refused to be drawn into retaliation.
The 29-year-old’s ice-cool finish not only booked a quarter-final clash with Morocco but also lifted him level with Lionel Messi on seven goals in the Golden Boot race.
Harry Kane and Erling Haaland sit on five goals apiece and will have opportunities to close the gap when their teams play on Sunday, but Mbappe’s latest show of mental strength under pressure stood out.
The victory extends one of the most remarkable records in World Cup history.
France have not lost a round-of-16 match since 1934, with previous successes coming against Belgium in 1938, Italy in 1986, Paraguay in 1998, Spain in 2006, Nigeria in 2014, Argentina in 2018 and Poland in 2022.
A French exit would have thrown the tournament wide open, yet even neutral observers acknowledged that football ultimately prevailed over the stop-start, niggly contest.
Didier Deschamps’ side now carry their long unbeaten knockout tradition into the last eight with renewed belief.
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