Paraguay vs France Match Summary Round of 16 - FIFA World Cup 2026™

#FIFAWorldCupOnYT Kylian Mbappé is just one goal away from equaling Lionel Messi's World Cup tally after leading France to a 1-0 victory over Paraguay and a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ quarterfinals. Mbappé scored his 19th World Cup goal, second only to Lionel Messi (20). This was his 11th goal in the knockout stages, at least three more than any other player. Mbappé and Messi are now tied as joint top scorers in this edition of the World Cup with seven goals each. France has won all five of its matches at the 2026 World Cup, achieving five consecutive victories in a single major tournament for only the second time in its history, after Euro 1984. France has won its last eight Round of 16 matches at the World Cup, with its last elimination at this stage dating back to 1934 when it lost 3-2 to Austria after extra time. France has won all eight of its matches played in the United States, the country where it has played the most matches, achieving a 100% win rate. France recorded 76% possession against Paraguay, their highest percentage in a major tournament since Opta began collecting this data in 1966. France scored their 150th World Cup goal, becoming only the fourth team to reach this milestone after Brazil (246), Germany (243), and Argentina (163). France have converted their last 17 penalties in all competitions (13 of which were scored by Kylian Mbappé), with their last miss coming in June 2021 against Wales (Karim Benzema). Paraguay have now gone seven knockout matches without a win at the World Cup (D2 L5), the most in the tournament's history. Manu Koné's 22nd-minute shot was the first of the Paraguay-France match. Only the France vs. Tunisia match in the 2022 group stage (25th minute) saw a later first shot in a World Cup since Opta began analyzing this data (1966). Post-Game 05 July 2026 #FIFAWorldCupOnYT AI-generated video summary Quality and accuracy may vary. The match is characterized by intense attacking pressure from the French team and persistent attempts to penetrate Paraguay's solid defense. High-level individual skills and exciting attacking forays are on display, with both sides relying on quick counter-attacks and crosses to reach the goal amidst a highly charged atmosphere.