Penalty saves France’s World Cup run in a scrappy match against Paraguay

After France lost the 2022 World Cup final, it would be understandable if the team were dealing with an emotional hangover even four years later.

Looking to defend its 2018 World Cup title, France lost to Argentina in 2022 in one of the greatest matches ever played. Kylian Mbappé became only the second player to score a hat trick in a World Cup final, but his heroic effort wasn’t enough as Argentina won in penalties.

Four years later, there’s not a hint of complacency or dejection in France. Instead, after a 1-0 win over Paraguay in the round of 16, France looks poised to become the first team to make three straight finals since Brazil from 1994 to 2002.

Saturday’s game showed off the sheer talent and the depth of this French team. With Paraguay packing in its defense, the game remained scoreless for a while, until France brought in Désiré Doué as a substitute in the 61st minute. On almost any other World Cup team, Doué would be a star. For France, he’s a luxury.

Doué’s aggression drew a penalty, which allowed Mbappé to score on a penalty kick, giving him seven goals for the tournament and 19 all time, the second most in World Cup history behind only Lionel Messi, who currently has 20.

For France, the signs of dominance first appeared in the group stage.

France kicked off the 2026 World Cup with a 3-1 win over Senegal and followed it up with a 3-0 win over Iraq. And even though Norway elected to sit most of its top players for its final Group I match, France kept its foot on the gas and won running away 4-1.

France ended the group stage with a tournament-best goal difference of plus 8, then crushed Sweden to the tune of 3-0 to begin the knockout rounds. After its win over Paraguay, France’s goal difference is now plus 12, a firm marker of how it has thoroughly outclassed every opponent.

Paraguay did its best to play anything except soccer on Saturday. It started the match in an incredibly defensive formation, packing its defensive third and trying to force France to play in a phone booth. The strategy was clear: put as many defenders in front of the goal as possible and then get physical in an effort to frustrate France’s stars.

In the first half, it worked, as France was held scoreless, and at one point the aggressive play spilled over into pushing and shoving. But a team as motivated and talented as France could only be held in check for so long, and it broke through in the second half.

Paraguay continued the physicality through the end of the match, with the teams even jawing at each other after the final whistle. Paraguay’s attempts to rattle ultimately proved to be as fruitless as its defensive strategy.

Mbappé, 27, screamed in joy at the crowd once stoppage time ended. The striker has picked up from where he left off in the 2022 tournament. He’s currently tied for first in the golden boot race, along with Messi. Both have scored seven goals during this World Cup, with possibly three matches still left to go. Mbappé has received lots of help from Ousmane Dembélé (four goals) and Michael Olise (five assists), the three players forming perhaps the most dangerous attack on grass.

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After Saturday’s win, next up for France will be Morocco, a rematch of one of the semifinals in 2022, which France won 2-0. Even though Morocco presumably will be the team out for revenge, it may be a challenge for it to match France’s hunger.