[Anchor]
The Round of 16 for the North and Central America World Cup has begun. France has advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Paraguay, led by Kylian Mbappe's seventh goal of the tournament. It was a victory earned by overcoming Paraguay's rough fouls, which were reminiscent of a combat sport.
Reporter Ha Seong-nyong has the story.
[Reporter]
France struggled to create significant opportunities in the first half, stifled by the aggressive play of Paraguay, who had reached the Round of 16 after defeating Germany.
The match became overheated as players from both sides frequently clashed due to Paraguay's constant provocations and unsportsmanlike conduct, including punching opponents even when the ball was not in play.
France, held scoreless in the first half, only managed to take control of the game midway through the second half.
Substitute Desire Doue was tripped by a defender while making a breakthrough in the 65th minute, and after a video assistant referee (VAR) review, France was awarded a penalty kick, securing a chance for the opening goal.
Despite a Paraguayan player attempting to disrupt the kick by scuffing the grass on the penalty spot, Mbappe calmly found the back of the net.
With his seventh goal of the tournament, Mbappe moved into a tie for the lead in the Golden Boot race with Lionel Messi. He also extended his record for the most goals in World Cup knockout stage matches to 11 and narrowed the gap with Messi, the all-time leading World Cup scorer, to just one goal, bringing his total to 19.
Even after the goal, the referee continued to make inexplicable decisions, failing to issue a single yellow card despite Paraguay's repeated, combat-like rough fouls. However, France maintained its composure. Despite the misfortune of Mbappe's consecutive shots being blocked by the goalkeeper late in the game, France held on for a 1-0 victory to reach the quarterfinals.
[Deschamps/France National Football Team Head Coach: Paraguay kept doing things that were meant to annoy, provoke, or even make us feel like we were being treated unfairly. It is not easy to stay calm in such situations, but our players did a great job.]
The football community and international media heavily criticized Paraguay for their unsportsmanlike conduct, calling it "shameful football that makes people forget the miracle of their victory over Germany in the Round of 32."
France, aiming for its first title in eight years, will face Morocco in the quarterfinals.
(Video Editing: Hwang Ji-young)
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