WORLD Cup favourites France were made to sweat to book their quarter-final place but Kylian Mbappe’s second-half penalty proved enough to help them past a resolute Paraguay in Philadelphia.
Paraguay limited the two-time winners to very few chances until substitute Desire Doue was fouled inside the box by Brighton’s Diego Gomez and referee Ilgiz Tantashev pointed to the spot after a video assistant referee (VAR) intervention.
Mbappe took the penalty and sent Orlando Gill the wrong way to ensure France’s progress, as he drew level with Argentina great Lionel Messi on seven goals in the tournament’s Golden Boot race.
The last-16 tie kicked off in extreme heat, with temperatures soaring to 38C, but it appeared to be no deterrent for France, who dominated possession from the start.
However, the Paraguay defence proved difficult to break down and that frustration was evident in the 36th minute when Mbappe lashed out after a foul on him by Andres Cubas.
Gustavo Alfaro’s side, who upset Germany on penalties in the last 32, defended resolutely during a cagey first half that ended goalless and with neither side registering a shot on target.
France showed greater urgency after the break and finally forced Gill into a save through Manu Kone’s effort from distance in the 54th minute – their first on target.
But it was not until Doue replaced Bradley Barcola on the left wing that Les Bleus found the moment they had been searching for.
The 21-year-old Paris St-Germain forward drove into the box four minutes after coming on and danced past a Paraguay defender before Gomez stuck out a leg to bring him down, allowing Mbappe to seal France’s place among the final eight.
This knockout tie pitted two sides at opposite ends of the footballing spectrum.
France’s attack, which has been at its free-flowing best in this tournament, came up against a Paraguay side that tried to disrupt their rhythm with physicality, aggression and defensive organisation.
And breaking them down proved a difficult task for Didier Deschamps’ men in a contest which became only the third World Cup knockout tie since 1966 to not have a first-half shot on target.
But once again it was Mbappe who delivered the decisive moment – this time to send Les Bleus into the last eight and the South Americans packing.
The France captain kept his composure from the penalty spot, after some brilliant footwork from Doue to draw the foul, in a contest where France were frustrated not only by Paraguay but also a series of refereeing calls that did not go their way.
Alfaro’s side conceded 13 fouls but finished the match without a single booking, while France received three yellow cards, having committed 11 fouls.
Mbappe, still only 27, now has 19 World Cup goals from 19 games as he chases Lionel Messi – who has taken the all-time record during this tournament by extending his tally to 20.
The last time these two teams met in this competition also produced a tense and tightly contested affair in the last 16 – in 1998 when France were hosts.
It was Laurent Blanc who struck a golden goal to defeat Paraguay on that occasion and two weeks later, captain Deschamps lifted the country’s first World Cup.
Deschamps finds himself in a different role 28 years on but he will hope history repeats itself as his team took another step in that direction.
France will travel to Boston where they will face Morocco, who defeated co-hosts Canada 3-0, in the quarter-finals on Thursday, 9 July (21:00 BST).
Paraguay, meanwhile, are out but will return for the 2030 World Cup where they are set to host one of the three opening matches to mark the tournament’s centenary.