Mbappe Sends France Into World Cup Quarter-Finals

Philadelphia: (Sports Desk) – France booked a World Cup quarter-final meeting with Morocco after defeating Paraguay 1-0 in intense heat in Philadelphia.

Captain Kylian Mbappe scored the only goal from the penalty spot in the 70th minute, taking his tournament tally to seven and joining Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race.

Paraguay, who had eliminated Germany on penalties in the previous round, kept France under pressure with a disciplined defensive display. However, substitute Desire Doue helped create the breakthrough after being brought down inside the penalty area by Diego Gomez.

Following a VAR review, the referee awarded France a penalty, which Mbappe converted calmly. The match was played in temperatures close to 38 degrees Celsius amid a heatwave in the northeastern United States.

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Morocco reached the quarter-finals after a convincing 3-0 victory over co-hosts Canada in Houston. Azzedine Ounahi scored twice, while Soufiane Rahimi added a late third goal.

Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said his side had moved beyond being a surprise package after becoming the first African nation to reach the World Cup quarter-finals in consecutive tournaments.