France beat Paraguay 1-0, but this was not a smooth evening for Didier Deschamps's side. Kylian Mbappé scored the penalty in the 70th minute, Désiré Doué came off the bench to win it, and the ratings reflect a team that needed one moment rather than sustained control. France still ended with 76% possession, which tells you plenty about the territory they had and how little of it became clear chances.

Mbappé and Doué decided the tie

Mbappé’s tournament total is now seven goals in five appearances, and this was another game where he did the decisive work without dominating every phase. GOAL described it as a relatively quiet night by his standards until he broke the deadlock with the minimum of fuss, which is fair enough. He did not need to be everywhere for France to go through.

Doué was the more interesting change. GOAL said he came on in the 61st minute and won a penalty five minutes later, while SI put the timing at five minutes after the switch and GOAL said it was four. Either way, the point is the same: the substitute shifted the game quickly. His 7.3 rating from 37 minutes and three key passes fit that picture.

Why the performance still felt flat

The possession figure flatters the overall attacking display a bit. France had 76% of the ball and only 1.36 xG, while SI also noted they did not manage a shot on target in the first half. That is the gap between control of the ball and control of the match.

The wider attack was uneven too. GOAL gave Michael Olise a 4/10 and Bradley Barcola a 4/10, the lowest marks among the named starters in its piece. Ousmane Dembélé was rated 6/10, Manu Koné 6.9, and Barcola's 6.5 reflected a quiet evening before Doué changed the balance. Mike Maignan, Jules Koundé, and Diego Gómez were all part of a match that never opened up much.

Paraguay vs France was always likely to demand patience after Paraguay had already beaten Germany in the previous round. France found a way through, and the ratings suggest Mbappé and Doué were the two players who actually made the difference.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →