Philadelphia, July 5: Kylian Mbappe scored his 19th World Cup goal, a penalty that put France ahead in their 1-0 Round of 16 win over Paraguay.
Mbappe converted a penalty in the 70th minute, beating Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill. Video review awarded the spot kick after Diego Gomez tripped Mbappe.
The goal equals Mbappe’s 19 goals in 19 World Cup appearances. It is his seventh goal in this tournament and matches Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race.
Mbappe now trails Messi’s career World Cup total by one. He is the only player to score at least three knockout stage goals in three separate World Cups. The match grew physical early, with fouls and clashes between players.
After the final whistle, tensions continued when Gill threw a ball at Mbappe. France coach Didier Deschamps praised Mbappe’s work and team impact.
Messi scored his 20th World Cup goal the previous day for Argentina. Erling Haaland and Harry Kane each have five goals in the tournament.
If the Golden Boot ends in a tie, FIFA will use assists, then minutes played, as tiebreakers. Mbappe leads Messi 2-0 in assists in this tournament.
