MUNDIAL·26

Round of 16 · Saturday, July 4 · Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia · 68,324 in the stands

kickoff 17:00 local · 37°C · 37% humidity

Paraguay

0:1

France

70′ Kylian MBAPPE

tap a player for their match file

Paraguay5-4-1
France4-2-3-1
Orlando GILL6.7Gustavo VELAZQUEZ6.3Omar ALDERETE6.5Juan Jose CACERES5.9Junior ALONSO6.5Gustavo GOMEZ6.6Diego GOMEZ5.9Miguel ALMIRON6.0Andres CUBAS6.7Matias GALARZA6.5Julio ENCISO6.2Mike MAIGNAN7.3Lucas DIGNE7.0Dayot UPAMECANO7.1Jules KOUNDE7.0William SALIBA7.4Manu KONE7.1Adrien RABIOT7.1Ousmane DEMBELE6.8Kylian MBAPPE7.9Michael OLISE6.7Bradley BARCOLA6.5
from the bench

match pulse — xG per 5 minutes · goals · cards

45′90′105′101′PARFRA

goals — hover the strip for every shot and card, with names

  • 70′Mbappe0.79 xG
PAR 0:0 FRA0'kickoff
22' Kone — xG 0.03 · Blocked28' Alonso — xG 0.02 · Missed28' Gomez — xG 0.01 · Missed33' Rabiot — xG 0.02 · Missed38' Dembélé — xG 0.03 · Blocked43' Kone — xG 0.02 · Missed45' Rabiot — xG 0.03 · Blocked49' Rabiot — xG 0.04 · Missed50' Almiron — xG 0.02 · Blocked52' Dembélé — xG 0.04 · Missed54' Kone — xG 0.01 · Saved60' Barcola — xG 0.04 · Missed64' Mbappe — xG 0.02 · Missed70' Mbappe — xG 0.79 · Goal87' Alonso — xG 0.02 · Missed89' Mbappe — xG 0.05 · Saved90' Mauricio — xG 0.06 · Missed90 + 1' Doué — xG 0.03 · Blocked90 + 6' Mbappe — xG 0.13 · Saved90 + 6' Mbappe — xG 0.21 · Saved

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The xG race — cumulative expected goals, minute by minute

PAR 0:0 FRA
1.00′15′30′45′60′75′90′70' Mbappe — GOAL0.131.49

On paper vs as played — formation sheet vs heatmap reality

PAR 5-4-1 attack →, ← FRA 4-2-3-1 attack. The teamsheet, as announced.

12Orlando GILLOrlando GILL2Gustavo VELAZQUEZGustavo VELAZQUEZ3Omar ALDERETEOmar ALDERETE4Juan Jose CACERESJuan Jose CACERES6Junior ALONSOJunior ALONSO15Gustavo GOMEZGustavo GOMEZ8Diego GOMEZDiego GOMEZ10Miguel ALMIRONMiguel ALMIRON14Andres CUBASAndres CUBAS23Matias GALARZAMatias GALARZA19Julio ENCISOJulio ENCISO16Mike MAIGNANMike MAIGNAN3Lucas DIGNELucas DIGNE4Dayot UPAMECANODayot UPAMECANO5Jules KOUNDEJules KOUNDE17William SALIBAWilliam SALIBA6Manu KONEManu KONE14Adrien RABIOTAdrien RABIOT7Ousmane DEMBELEOusmane DEMBELE10Kylian MBAPPEKylian MBAPPE11Michael OLISEMichael OLISE12Bradley BARCOLABradley BARCOLA

The duel — team data, FIFA tracking included

22%
Possession
67%
0.13
Expected goals
1.93
20
Threat
80
5
Shots
15
0
On target
5
108
Passes completed
526
40
Forced turnovers
37
20.5s
Ball recovery time
8.0s
1.55
High-press phases
3.23
11
Fouls committed
14
0
Offsides
0
104 km
Distance covered
105 km
34.7 km/h
Top speed
36.5 km/h

Territory — where each team lived

Every player's heatmap, minutes-weighted and stacked per team. Paraguay attack →, ← France attack. Brighter is more presence; where the colors meet is the contested ground.

How it happened

  1. 19′Bradley BARCOLA (France) is booked by the referee.
  2. 58′Jose CANALE (in) comes off the bench to replace Omar ALDERETE (out) (Paraguay)
  3. 61′Gustavo CABALLERO (in) comes off the bench to replace Julio ENCISO (out) (Paraguay)
  4. 61′Desire DOUE (in) comes off the bench to replace Bradley BARCOLA (out) (France)
  5. 70′Penalty Awarded
  6. 70′Kylian MBAPPE (France) successfully converts the penalty!
  7. 71′Gabriel AVALOS (in) comes off the bench to replace Miguel ALMIRON (out) (Paraguay)
  8. 71′MAURICIO (in) comes off the bench to replace Diego GOMEZ (out) (Paraguay)
  9. 81′Manu KONE (France) is booked by the referee.
  10. 84′Rayan CHERKI (in) comes off the bench to replace Ousmane DEMBELE (out) (France)
  11. 90+7′Michael OLISE (France) is booked by the referee.
  12. 90′Carlos GONZALEZ (Paraguay) is booked by the referee.

The morning-after column · AI-written from the match data

France's Control Breaks Paraguay's Defensive Stranglehold

France swarmed the pitch from start, but Paraguay's rigid 5-4-1 formation—a defensive wall—kept them at bay through 69 minutes. The Parisians controlled 67 per cent possession with 3.2 high-press phases, yet breakthrough proved elusive. Paraguay, defending with absolute commitment, scraped five shots without troubling the target. The dam burst in the 70th minute: France's mounting pressure yielded a clinical finish, built on 0.79 xG.

The xG gap told all: France's 1.93 to Paraguay's 0.13 reflected overwhelming control. With 15 shots against five, France's press forced 37 turnovers while recovering in 8 seconds—Paraguay's 20.5 showed the gulf. Mbappe (7.9) and Doué (7.6) drove attacks; Mauricio and Gill held heroically for the home side. A scrambled save in the 90th minute denied France a second, but one conversion sufficed against such toothless opposition.

France's 1.93 expected goals against Paraguay's 0.13 encapsulated a 15-fold gulf in control—five-to-15 shots, eight-to-20-second recovery times, and the single strike that separated tournament contenders from defensive castaways.

70′

France breached Paraguay's defensive wall with clinical finishing, built on superior possession and press phases.

What Paraguay needed

Defensive discipline postponed the inevitable; without attacking threat, the wall crumbles.

  • Zero shots on target and 0.13 xG—Paraguay offered nothing going forward, handing France total control.
  • Ball recovery time of 20.5 seconds versus France's 8 allowed 37 forced turnovers; Paraguay chased ghosts.
  • The 5-4-1 prioritised survival but needed one dangerous moment to trouble Saliba (7.4) and disrupt France's certainty.

What France needed

Possession and press dominance converted once; a late miss hinted at vulnerability.

  • 67 per cent possession and 3.2 high-press phases built an overwhelming framework; 70th-minute finish justified the blueprint.
  • Mbappe (7.9) and Doué (7.6) orchestrated 8-second possession cycles and 37 forced turnovers—France's press left Paraguay in retreat.
  • A saved big chance (0.21 xG) at 90+6 reminded France how narrow the margin was; clinical efficiency proved decisive.