Mbappe strikes again to send France through
Kylian Mbappe scored his seventh goal of the FIFA World Cup 2026 as France overcame Paraguay at Philadelphia Stadium. Mbappe struck a second-half penalty to settle an attritional contest, moving level with Lionel Messi on goals but leading on assists in the race for the 2026 adidas Golden Boot, and one behind the Argentine's all-time World Cup tally of 20.
Paraguay had stunned Germany on penalties to reach the Round of 16. France dominated possession but struggled to break down Paraguay's defence in the first half, with efforts limited to speculative attempts and none troubling goalkeeper Orlando Gill. France began to make inroads after the restart, with Ousmane Dembele firing into the side netting and Gill diving full stretch to keep out Manu Kone's powerful long-range effort. Paraguay's resistance was broken in the 69th minute after Desire Doue was adjudged to have been upended in the penalty area following a VAR review. Mbappe calmly dispatched the resultant spot-kick, sending Gill the wrong way. Morocco, who knocked out co-hosts Canada in the opening last-16 tie, await France at Boston Stadium on 9 July. Mbappe scored a record-extending 11th World Cup knockout-stage goal, while becoming the first player to bag in the Round of 16 in three successive tournaments.
Quick Summary
France is set to face Paraguay in a crucial FIFA World Cup 2026 match, with Kylian Mbappe looking to extend his impressive goal-scoring run. The
Summary - read the full story for complete context.
Image: MyJoyOnline
GhanaFront aggregates news from trusted sources. Click to read the original article.
Keywords
Explore related tagsMore from MyJoyOnline
Related Stories
More from Sports
Diaz happy to make a difference for Morocco
Discover how Brahim Diaz's impact is fueling Morocco's ambitions and what it means for their historic World Cup run.
2h ago•3 min read
