Sports
Paraguay-France live: Les Bleus aim to extend perfect tournament run
France continue their knockout campaign against Paraguay, looking to maintain their perfect tournament record and progress one step closer to winning another World Cup. Les Bleus’ dominant group stage campaign has established them as genuine contenders, while Paraguay seek to upset the odds as they did with Germany. Follow our liveblog for minute-to-minute commentary.
Official lineups
Paraguay: Gill – Cáceres, Gómez (c), Velázquez, Alderete, Alonso – Cubas – Almirón, Gómez, Galarza – Enciso
France: Maignan – Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne – Koné, Rabiot – Dembélé, Olise, Barcola – Mbappé (c).
Deschamps trying to shake things up
Bradley Barcola makes way for Désiré Doué in search of more attacking spark
Double substitution for Paraguay
Play is stopped as Gustavo Caballero comes on to replace the injured Julio Enciso
Omar Alderete is also forced off with injury, with José Canale introduced by Gustavo Alfaro to reinforce the back line
Barcola slaloms forward but is stopped in front of the box
Bradley Barcola weaves his way past several challenges with a good dribble, but the Paraguayan defence eventually gets the ball away
Koné denied by a superb save
Manu Koné finds space and unleashes a decent long-range effort aimed at the top right corner, but Orlando Gill produces a brilliant save to keep it out
Paraguay survive another scare
The warning signs keep coming for the defence, but they stay alive as the ball flashes past the post
Rabiot fires over once again from distance
Adrien Rabiot tries his luck from range, but his effort sails high over the crossbar
Second half underway
Shade has overtaken most of the pitch! Good news for Les Bleus with this terrible heat
Players are back on the pitch
And it’s half-time in Philly
Koné tries his luck from midfield
Manu Koné attempts to create something, but it goes nowhere
5 minutes of added time
Koundé’s pass blocked as France win a corner
Jules Koundé looks to find a teammate inside the box, but his delivery is cut out by the defence
The referee isn’t watching the same match
Mister Tantashev refuses to caution Paraguayan players despite their many fouls
Rising tension in a physical contest
Paraguay are increasingly aggressive in the duels, disrupting France’s rhythm and trying to provoke reactions from the French players in a very heated first half
Rabiot blazes over from distance
Adrien Rabiot finds space on the edge of the area but can only send his effort high over the crossbar
Dembélé’s cross fails to find Mbappé…
A promising Bleu move as the ball is whipped in, but Mbappé can’t be picked out in the middle
Rare chance goes begging for Paraguay
Diego Gomez watches it drop and connects cleanly on the half-volley, but his effort flies well wide of the right post…
Time for a well-deserved cooling break
It’s hot out in Philly…
France topped their group with an impressive unbeaten campaign, securing three consecutive victories before dismantling Sweden 3-0 in their opening knockout match. Didier Deschamps‘ side have showcased attacking prowess and tactical discipline throughout the tournament, establishing themselves as one of the competition’s elite sides. Their passage to the quarter-finals saw them eliminate the Scandinavians with clinical efficiency, Kylian Mbappé scoring twice to extend his remarkable World Cup tally.
Paraguay, meanwhile, earned their Round of 16 berth after finishing as one of the best-performing third-place finishers and eliminating an unrecognisable Germany. The winner will face Morocco in a quarter-final encounter next Thursday.
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