Kylian Mbappe showed nerves of steel after a Paraguay player tried to rough up the penalty spot before his decisive kick. The French forward calmly converted his strike, drawing level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race, and celebrated right in front of his opponents as Les Bleus clinched a quarter-final place.

Mbappe stays composed amid penalty drama

Once again, Mbappe proved decisive for France, confidently converting a 70th-minute penalty after Desire Doue was fouled inside the box. Prior to the kick, several Paraguay players attempted to disrupt the Real Madrid star by scuffing the penalty spot.

The ploy, however, backfired. Mbappe buried his seventh goal of the tournament, equalling Messi’s tally in the Golden Boot standings. He then turned to celebrate directly in front of the Paraguay players after France’s hard-fought 1-0 win in humid conditions in Philadelphia.

Deschamps slams Paraguay's tactics

France manager Didier Deschamps commended his players for keeping their composure in what was a tense, physical encounter at the Lincoln Financial Field. He criticised Paraguay’s aggressive style and their attempts at gamesmanship throughout the contest.

“It wasn’t easy. They used every possible trick,” Deschamps told M6. “That’s not really the kind of football that draws fans to the stadium — playing with that level of aggression and exaggerating every contact.”

In his post-match press conference, he added: “I’m not going to criticise the referee, but we finished the game with three yellow cards, even though there were plenty of other things happening. I won’t criticise Paraguay; every team has the right to play the way they want. But I could do without the insults. The key thing is there were no incidents at the end, and the most important part is that we’ve qualified.”

Morocco up next for France

France will now take on Morocco in the quarter-finals in Foxborough, rekindling the rivalry from their 2022 World Cup semi-final clash. Mbappe is once again expected to lead the French attack as Les Bleus continue their pursuit of the World Cup title.