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Kylian Mbappe's second-half penalty secured France a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay, sending the tournament favourites into the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.
Paraguay frustrated the two-time world champions for much of the contest, limiting France to few clear-cut opportunities through disciplined defending and organised play.
The breakthrough came after substitute Desire Doue was brought down inside the penalty area by Brighton midfielder Diego Gomez. Referee Ilgiz Tantashev initially waved play on but awarded a penalty following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review.
Mbappe calmly converted the spot-kick, sending goalkeeper Orlando Gill the wrong way to score the decisive goal and book France's place in the last eight.
The goal also saw the France captain move level with Argentina legend Lionel Messi on seven goals in the race for the tournament's Golden Boot.
France will now turn their attention to the quarter-finals as they continue their pursuit of a third FIFA World Cup title after overcoming one of their toughest tests of the tournament.
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