France needed a second-half Kylian Mbappe penalty to break down a stubborn Paraguay side, winning a niggly World Cup last-16 clash 1-0 to set up a quarterfinal showdown with Morocco.

Paraguay’s efforts to get under the skin of France’s superstars worked for three-quarters of a game played in front of 68,324 fans in Philadelphia in heatwave conditions on Saturday.

However, the quality in the French ranks eventually shone through, with Mbappe converting from the spot on 70 minutes after Desire Doue was brought down.

This was not an attacking masterclass by the French as they had produced in their previous games, but Paraguay did not allow them to play that way.

It was very much a mismatch, though, with Les Bleus having almost all of the ball and Paraguay not managing a shot on target until the 90th minute.

Mbappe’s brilliant World Cup on a personal level continued as he rejoined Lionel Messi as the tournament’s joint-top scorer with seven goals. The Real Madrid striker now has 19 World Cup goals in total – from 19 appearances – meaning he is just one behind Messi’s overall record of 20.

Didier Deschamps’ team will now return to their Boston base to prepare for a last-eight clash in nearby Foxborough next Thursday against the Moroccans, who beat Canada 3-0 earlier.

It was a sweltering day in Philadelphia, with temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) and extreme weather warnings in place in case of storms.

France’s last visit to Lincoln Financial Field, during the group phase, was affected by storms, as rain and thunder led to a two-hour delay during their 3-0 win over Iraq.

This time there were no interruptions to a game played on the 250th anniversary of US independence, and in the city where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.

A pre-match concert on the pitch featured a rendition of the US national anthem by the actress Idina Menzel, a performance by hip-hop band The Roots, and a US Air Force flyover.

A fireworks display in the city to mark July 4 was not due to take place until later, and the anticipated French pyrotechnics on the pitch were contained for long spells by the Paraguayans.

Ranked 41st in the world, Paraguay had ousted Germany on penalties in the last round and were aiming to claim another huge scalp here.

They played with a back five, defended with a low block, and were quite happy to live up to some South American stereotypes with a cynical approach at times.

That led to Mbappe’s frustrations getting the better of him as he got involved in a shoving match with Andres Cubas. Moments later, Matias Galarza had a little lash-out at the France captain off the ball.

France had practically all of the ball but struggled to do anything with it, being restricted to shots from long range.

Manu Kone had one attempt deflected just wide midway through the first half and another tipped over by Orlando Gill not long after the restart.

Paraguay’s attempts to frustrate France were working, but the dark arts would only get them so far.

While Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele were struggling to influence the game, Deschamps opted to remove Bradley Barcola and put Doue on the left wing in his place.

That was just after the hour mark, and Doue quickly made an impact.

When he attempted to dribble his way through a sea of Paraguayan defenders, he went down under contact from Diego Gomez. The foul was clear, and the Uzbek referee pointed to the spot after a review.

Dembele protected the penalty spot as several Paraguay players tried to rough it up. Mbappe then stepped forward and slotted in.

Having won on penalties in the last round, Paraguay’s resistance was broken by one this time.

It was not a vintage France performance, but Mbappe almost scored again in stoppage time, and they have taken another step towards their goal.

In 1998, they needed a golden goal to beat Paraguay at the same stage of the competition. And they went on to win that World Cup.

[Aljazeera]

Ticket prices for ‌the United States’ highly anticipated round of 16 game against ⁠Belgium on ⁠Monday plunged by more than 30 percent before rebounding slightly early Saturday evening.

The get-in price for the final 2026 World ⁠Cup match in Seattle hit nearly $4,000 on June 1, according to ticket-tracking service TicketData.com. After dipping to as low as $1,549 ⁠on Tuesday, the get-in price spiked to $2,836 after the USA solidified their spot in the round of 16 with a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

However, the get-in price has steadily declined in the ‌days since. It dropped to $1,423 on Saturday afternoon – a 32 percent decrease over the past three days – but the get-in price rebounded to $1,635 at 6pm Eastern Time (23:00 GMT).

That late boost pushed the USA-Belgium game from the fourth-highest get-in price to the second-highest price among the eight round of 16 matches. Mexico’s game against ⁠England in Mexico City on Sunday sits ⁠at $3,574.

ROUND OF 16 TICKET PRICES*:

• Mexico-England, 7/5 (Houston): $3,574
• USA-Belgium: 7/6 (Seattle): $1,635
• Argentina-Egypt: 7/7 (Atlanta): $1,599
• Brazil-Norway: 7/5 (New Jersey): $1,537
• Portugal-Spain: 7/6 (Dallas): $1,367
• Switzerland-Colombia: $959 (Vancouver): $972
• Paraguay-France: 7/4 (Philadelphia): $914
• Canada-Morocco: 7/4 (Houston): $721

*TicketData.com as of 6 p.m. ET on July 4.

The significant drop in the ⁠get-in price for the US-Belgium game is somewhat surprising considering the Red Devils’ base camp ⁠is located just 16 kilometres (10 miles) south of Seattle ⁠Stadium at the Sounders FC Performance Center. Monday will mark Belgium’s third match in Seattle following a 1-1 draw with Egypt in the group stage and a ‌dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Senegal in the round of 32.

Canada was the first team eliminated from the round of 16 ‌with ‌their 3-0 loss to Morocco on Saturday. The get-in price for that match dropped 14 percent from $838 over the final 72 hours.

[Aljazeera]

Azzedine Ounahi scored twice to help fire Morocco to a 3-0 win over Canada in the World Cup Round of 16 as The Atlas Lions became the first African nation to reach the quarterfinals more than once.

It is Morocco’s second consecutive appearance in the last eight after becoming the first African team to reach the semifinals in 2022.

Canada dominated the opening stages but neither team was able to break through on Saturday until the Moroccans scored in the 50th minute. Ounahi received a free kick from Achraf Hakimi and fired a right-footed shot through traffic from outside the box into the bottom right corner.

Ounahi made it 2-0 with a right-footed shot from the middle of the box after a pass from Brahim Díaz after a quick counterattack in the 82nd minute.

Soufiane Rahimi – who came on for injured forward Ismael Saibari after just 22 minutes – added the third in the final minute of stoppage time.

Morocco will face the winner of Saturday’s other tie – Paraguay vs France – in Boston on Thursday.

Canada’s loss ends a historic run for the World Cup cohosts, who won their first-ever knockout round match 1-0 against South Africa. The Canadians were playing in the World Cup for just the third time and their run enchanted a nation normally far more interested in hockey than football.

Morocco, ranked sixth in the FIFA rankings, dispatched the Netherlands in a penalty shootout to reach the Round of 16 and send the Dutch to their earliest World Cup exit.

It was an extremely physical match with eight yellow cards being issued. Both teams received four.

Canada had a couple of chances to score late. Jonathan David had a free kick from outside the box in the 78th minute, but his shot sailed over the crossbar.

Just after that, Tajon Buchanan’s shot from about 30 yards was stopped by a diving save from goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. He was born in Canada to Moroccan parents and made three saves to help Morocco secure their win.

This game was a rematch from the last World Cup in Qatar, when Morocco beat Canada 2-1 in the group stage to go on to finish fourth.