Paraguay vs France

France ground out a hard-fought 1-0 win over a dogged Paraguay side at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to advance to the quarter-finals, where they will face Morocco in Boston on July 9. It was far from vintage French football, but Kylian Mbappé delivered when it mattered, rising to meet a Theo Hernández cross and powering a header past Orlando Gill in the 62nd minute. Paraguay, who had already stunned Germany on penalties in the Round of 32, once again showed remarkable defensive resilience under Gustavo Alfaro. Orlando Gill — the goalkeeper who became one of the stories of the tournament during Paraguay's famous penalty shootout win over Germany — made a string of fine saves to keep the match competitive for as long as possible. Matías Galarza, who had scored the opening goal against Türkiye that started Paraguay's tournament run, was involved in one flashpoint when Jules Koundé went down from a challenge, though no card was shown. The result means Mbappé has now scored eight goals and added two assists at this tournament, firmly leading the Golden Boot race. France will face Morocco in what promises to be a repeat of their Qatar 2022 semi-final, won 2-0 by France — and Walid Regragui's Atlas Lions will be determined to avenge that defeat on their way to writing even more history.