Paraguay vs France Player Ratings: Mbappé Penalty Sends France Into the Quarter-Finals

France are into the quarter-finals, but they had to work for it. Kylian Mbappé‘s second-half penalty was the difference as Les Bleus edged a stubborn Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16. Here are our France player ratings. For more, see our World Cup 2026 hub.

Key match stats

France player ratings vs Paraguay

• GK — Mike Maignan: 7/10 — Untroubled and kept a clean sheet.
• RB — Jules Koundé: 7/10 — Reliable and progressive (95% passing).
• CB — William Saliba: 7.5/10 — Commanding and composed on the ball.
• CB — Dayot Upamecano: 7/10 — Dominant in the air and on the ground.
• LB — Lucas Digne: 6.5/10 — Steady down the left.
• DM — Adrien Rabiot: 7/10 — Drove France forward with three shots.
• DM — Boris Koné: 7/10 — Energetic and busy in midfield.
• RW — Michael Olise: 7/10 — A creative threat throughout.
• AM — Ousmane Dembélé: 7/10 — Lively with two efforts before being rested.
• LW — Bradley Barcola: 7.5/10 — Electric, beating his man five times before coming off.
• ST — Kylian Mbappé (C): 8/10 — The matchwinner. Held his nerve from the spot on 70 minutes and led the line with five shots.

Substitutes

• Désiré Doué: 6.5/10 — Direct off the bench with two dribbles.
• Rayan Cherki: 6/10 — Late cameo.

Paraguay vs France: how it unfolded

Paraguay dug in and frustrated France for over an hour, but Les Bleus’ quality eventually told when Kylian Mbappé converted a 70th-minute penalty. France dominated the shot count 15-5 and kept a clean sheet to see it out. Didier Deschamps‘s side are through to the quarter-finals.

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