The United States may have taken a break on Independence Day, but France was hard at work in a tough Round of 16 match against Paraguay in Philadelphia, vying for a spot in the quarterfinals.
It was a sweltering day in the city where it all began, and both teams faced challenges because of the heat.
Paraguay, a strong contender, was clearly at a disadvantage against the well-supported French squad, spearheaded by the dynamic Kylian Mbappé, who has been quite the sensation during this tournament.
As the match kicked off, the first half unfolded predominantly on the French side, with France maintaining pressure for most of the first thirty minutes.
Things escalated dramatically in the 35th minute when Mbappé and Paraguay’s Andres Cubas got into a heated encounter, resulting in a shoving match.
Despite the turmoil, Paraguay held its ground and entered halftime with a scoreless tie, which, given the circumstances, was likely a source of satisfaction for them.
Coming back for the second half, France continued to search for opportunities, with Mbappé coming close to scoring several times.
In the 67th minute, France was awarded a penalty following a foul on Desiree Douet, which warranted a VAR review. Mbappé stepped up to take the shot, and as is often the case, he thrived under pressure.
He scored his 19th World Cup goal with this penalty, matching Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the tournament lead, with seven goals in this year’s competition alone.
After the goal, it seemed like Paraguay lost some momentum but managed to bounce back, forcing French goalkeeper Mike Maignan to make his first save in the dying minutes of the match.
Paraguay’s strategy had been to provoke the French players, successfully earning three yellow cards. They even attempted some post-match antics, gathering around midfield for a bit of extra pushing and shoving.
Nonetheless, France emerged victorious and will proceed to battle Morocco in the quarterfinals set to take place in Boston on Thursday.
