France survived the sweltering heat of Philadelphia and the dark arts of Paraguay as Kylian Mbappe continued his excellent goalscoring form at the World Cup.
Mbappe’s second-half penalty, his seventh goal of the tournament so far, set up a quarter-final meeting with Morocco. The Real Madrid forward continues to match the exploits of Argentina’s Lionel Messi, with both men also battling for the all-time World Cup scoring record.
France’s dominant performance came despite brutal conditions in Philadelphia, where an extreme heat warning was issued. Temperatures reached 37 degrees in the first half, when the match was played at a notably slower pace than usual.
Mbappe converts France’s second-half penalty.AP Photo/Matt Rourke
Mbappe’s strike was his 19th in 19 World Cup matches, taking him within one goal of Messi’s current tally of 20.