PHILADELPHIA — Kylian Mbappe scored his 19th career World Cup goal, and France survived stifling heat to beat Paraguay 1-0 on Saturday (July 4), sending Les Bleus into the quarterfinals for the fourth straight time.
France advanced to play Morocco on Thursday in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
With an extreme heat warning in effect throughout the match as temperatures hovered around 38 deg C, Mbappe finally broke through against a physical, defensive-minded Paraguay side when he converted a penalty kick in the 70th minute.
That was enough for Les Bleus, whose red, white and blue-clad fans looked plenty patriotic on July Fourth in Philadelphia, where the United States was founded exactly 250 years earlier.
Mbappe was awarded the penalty when Diego Gomez was called for tripping after a video review. Then he stutter-stepped on his way to 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.
Mbappe won that award four years ago in Qatar, but Messi and Argentina beat France in the final.
Mbappe botched a breakaway attempt in the second half, and Manu Kone had his top-corner shot knocked away by goalkeeper Orlando Gill after he was wiped out in the netting by Ousmane Dembele only moments earlier.
Gill also stopped two strong attempts by Mbappe in second-half stoppage time.
For the criticism that hydration breaks have watered down the pace of play at the World Cup, they were never more needed for the players than on this steamy, sticky day. Sprinklers showered the Kentucky bluegrass field during the breaks and at half-time.
More than in any of the five other World Cup games played before 68,000-plus fans at Lincoln Financial Field, spectators fled for the concourse at half-time, seeking shade and refuge from the sun.
Maybe they were looking for some action of any kind.
Les Bleus scored 13 goals in the first five games of the tournament but were stymied in the first half by a Paraguay team trying to turn the match into a rock 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.
Paraguay advanced by beating Germany in a penalty shoot-out on Monday, the biggest upset of this World Cup. But after a gritty effort by La Albirroja, it's France that's moving on.
After defeating Croatia for the 2018 title, France lost to Argentina on penalty kicks in the 2022 final.
The city soaked in the moment as the 250th anniversary of American independence was celebrated. More fans honored America — draped in flags or wearing Uncle Sam hats as they tailgated in the parking lot — than at any of the other games in Philadelphia, and Idina Menzel, The Roots and DJ Jazzy Jeff all performed.
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