France did not put on a show Saturday. It survived.
Kylian Mbappé converted a 70th-minute penalty to give France a tense 1-0 win over Paraguay in the World Cup Round of 16, sending Les Bleus into the quarterfinals against Morocco. The penalty came after Désiré Doué was fouled in the box and VAR confirmed the decision.
It was not vintage France. Paraguay sat deep, disrupted rhythm and made the game ugly in the Philadelphia heat. But championship teams win games like this. France had the better chances, stayed patient and eventually leaned on the best player in the tournament to finish the job.
Mbappé’s goal was his seventh of the World Cup, tying Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race. France needed every bit of his composure, because Paraguay made nothing easy after shocking Germany in the previous round.
Now comes a monster quarterfinal: France vs. Morocco. France will be favored, but Morocco just smashed Canada 3-0 and has the confidence, discipline and speed to make this uncomfortable.
France is still alive. Mbappé is still chasing history. But Saturday proved this path will not be smooth.
