France defeated Paraguay 1-0 (0-0) in the FIFA World Cup round of 16 on Saturday in Philadelphia, with Kylian Mbappé converting a 70th-minute penalty to send the 2018 champions through to a quarterfinal against Morocco.

What's new since July 5

Update July 5: France's narrow victory over Paraguay now carries additional context, including confirmation of Mbappé's tournament goal tally, the foul that produced the penalty, and the full reaction from both camps as the team prepares for Morocco in Boston on Thursday.

France had been expected to meet Germany in the round of 16 until Paraguay eliminated the DFB side on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the previous round. Instead, Didier Deschamps's squad faced a South American side that set out to frustrate the favorite with a deep defensive block, the same approach that had nullified Germany in the previous round.

Heat, history, and a hostile block

The contest, played in temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius at kickoff, required a cooling break during each half. FIFPro, the global players' union, had called for match suspensions above 35.5 degrees Celsius. French and Paraguayan supporters gathered together in downtown Philadelphia at McGillin's Olde Ale House after the final whistle, a striking image of a city that was marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with a flyover, a boys' choir rendition of "America the Beautiful," and clapboard fans throughout the stands.

Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro made three changes from the team that stunned Germany, bringing the previously suspended Diego Gómez back into the starting lineup alongside the recovered Omar Alderete. Diego Gómez would later be central to the decisive moment, although not in the way Alfaro would have wished.

For long stretches, France controlled possession without finding a way through. The closest France came in the first half was a curling attempt from Ousmane Dembélé that drifted just wide of the left post after a slight deflection in the 39th minute. Mbappé had earlier narrowly missed connecting with a precise Dembélé cross in the 31st minute.

How the penalty came about

Romelu Koné, the AS Roma midfielder, twice tried his luck from distance, the second effort in the 55th minute forcing a sharp save from goalkeeper Orlando Gill, who had been Paraguay's hero against Germany. Koné's first attempt, from about 20 meters, was palmed over by Gill with his left hand.

The breakthrough came in the 67th minute when referee Ilgiz Tantashev of Uzbekistan awarded a penalty after substitute Désiré Doué, on the field only five minutes after replacing Bradley Barcola, dribbled into the box and was brought down by Diego Gómez. Mbappé sent the spot kick into the bottom right corner to give France the lead.

Mbappé's goal was his seventh of the tournament, drawing him level with Argentina's Lionel Messi on the all-time World Cup scoring chart, and his 19th overall, moving him closer to Messi's record of 20. He also missed a late double chance in stoppage time, with Gill producing two more excellent saves to keep the scoreline respectable.