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The United States may not have been in action on Independence Day, but France – which deservedly played a significant role in the War of Independence – was on the field in Philadelphia against Paraguay in a massive Round of 16 clash for a trip to the quarterfinals.
It was a hot day in the birthplace of our nation, which made things difficult for both teams in more ways than one.
Although Paraguay are a great team, they were significant underdogs against a heavily favored French team led by superstar Kylian Mbappé, who lit up this tournament.
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The French and Paraguayan players engage in a scramble during their round of 16 match on Saturday in Philadelphia. (Kyle Ross-Imagn Images)
Obviously the heat itself is a factor, but it also led to slower pitching, which was thought to play into Paraguay’s hands.
However, most of the action in the first half was on their side as France piled on the pressure throughout the first half hour of the match.
It was intense, and that intensity boiled over in the 35th minute with some shoving after Mbappé and Paraguayan Andrés Cubas began a wild shoving match.
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But while the intensity intensified – and remained high for most of the match – Paraguay weathered the storm and had every reason to feel good as they reached halftime with a scoreless game.
France had more chances to score early in the second half, including a near breakaway for Mbappé.
Frenchman Kylian Mbappe scored the go-ahead and ultimately the winning goal against Paraguay from a penalty. (James Lang-Imagn Images)
In the 67th minute, France were awarded a penalty for a foul against Désiré Doué which had to be sent to VAR for review, and it was Mbappé who took it.
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Mbappé tended to do most of his damage in the second half, and that trend continued here with a penalty past Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill.
It was his 19th career World Cup goal, and his seventh in this tournament alone, tying him with Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the tournament lead.
Paraguay appeared to fade after Mbappé’s goal, but reignited it late, forcing Mike Maignan to make his first save of the day about 89 1/2 minutes into the match.
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It seemed that Paraguay’s plan was to try to give the French the upper hand, and they managed to draw three yellow cards. In fact, they even tried to keep this up after the game with players gathering near midfield to push and shove each other more.
But France moves on and will face Morocco in the quarterfinals on Thursday in Boston.
