07/04/26 06:19:00
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07/04 18:17 CDT Kylian Mbapp scores again and France reaches World Cup
quarterfinals with 1-0 win over Paraguay
Kylian Mbapp scores again and France reaches World Cup quarterfinals with 1-0
win over Paraguay
By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) --- Kylian Mbapp scored his 19th career World Cup goal, and
France survived stifling heat to beat Paraguay 1-0 on Saturday, sending Les
Bleus into the quarterfinals for the fourth straight time.
France advanced to play Morocco on Thursday in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
With an extreme heat warning in effect throughout the match as temperatures
hovered around 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), Mbapp finally broke
through against a physical, defensive-minded Paraguay side when he converted a
penalty kick in the 70th minute.
That was enough for Les Bleus, whose red, white and blue-clad fans looked
plenty patriotic on July Fourth in Philadelphia, where the United States was
founded exactly 250 years earlier.
Mbapp was awarded the penalty when Diego Gomez was called for tripping after a
video review. Then he stutter-stepped on his way to his 19th goal in 19 World
Cup appearances, one behind career record holder Lionel Messi of Argentina.
Mbapp and Messi each have seven goals in this tournament to top the Golden
Boot race.
Mbapp won that award four years ago in Qatar, but Messi and Argentina beat
France in the final.
Mbapp botched a breakaway attempt in the second half, and Manu Kon had his
top-corner shot knocked away by goalkeeper Orlando Gill after he was wiped out
in the netting by Ousmane Dembl only moments earlier.
Gill also stopped two strong attempts by Mbapp in second-half stoppage time.
For the criticism that hydration breaks have watered down the pace of play at
the World Cup, they were never more needed for the players than on this steamy,
sticky day. Sprinklers showered the Kentucky bluegrass field during the breaks
and at halftime.
More than in any of the five other World Cup games played before 68,000-plus
fans at Lincoln Financial Field, spectators fled for the concourse at halftime,
seeking shade and refuge from the sun.
Maybe they were looking for some action of any kind.
Les Bleus scored 13 goals in the first five games of the tournament but were
stymied in the first half by a Paraguay team trying to turn the match into a
rock fight. Tempers flared when Andrs Cubas took down Mbapp and the teams
briefly pushed and shoved each other. Matas Galarza also threw his right elbow
into Mbapp and sent him crashing to the grass.
Paraguay advanced by beating Germany in a penalty shootout on Monday, the
biggest upset of this World Cup. But after a gritty effort by La Albirroja,
it's France that's moving on.
After defeating Croatia for the 2018 title, France lost to Argentina on penalty
kicks in the 2022 final. Les Bleus are 5-0 in this year's tournament,
outscoring opponents 14-2.
The city soaked in the moment as the 250th anniversary of American independence
was celebrated. More fans honored America --- draped in flags or wearing Uncle
Sam hats as they tailgated in the parking lot --- than at any of the other
games in Philadelphia, and Idina Menzel, The Roots and DJ Jazzy Jeff all
performed.
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