New Delhi: France clinched a 1-0 victory against Paraguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16. The only goal for Les Blues came from a penalty kick taken by Kylian Mbappe in the 70th minute, securing a quarter-final spot for France. With this, the French forward has reached two distinct statistical milestones in international football.
Kylian Mbappe now has 11 FIFA World Cup knockout goals, making him the first player in men’s football history to hit double figures in the elimination rounds of the world’s biggest football tournament.
The goal against Paraguay also took his tally of total World Cup goals to 19, only 1 behind the all-time leader, Lionel Messi (20). While he achieved this impressive feat in only three World Cup appearances, Messi has featured in six World Cups.
To add to the impressiveness, his individual tally of 19 World Cup goals now matches the combined outputs of Thierry Henry (six goals), Olivier Giroud (five goals), Zinedine Zidane (five goals), and Karim Benzema (three goals). While these legendary figures laboured across decades to build their respective international legacies, Mbappe has equalled their collective lifetime World Cup contributions in just 19 tournament appearances. This also gives him a staggering 1:1 goal-to-match ratio.
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The Golden Boot race
Mbappe’s penalty also marked France’s 150th World Cup goal. This made them the fourth nation to reach that number, following Brazil, Germany and Argentina.
Now with seven goals in the World Cup, the French captain has equalled Messi with the most goals in this World Cup. This sets up the chase for the 2026 Golden Boot.
As France moves on to play the quarter-final against Morocco, all eyes will be on this highly anticipated match. The upcoming match will determine whether France can secure a third consecutive semifinal appearance.
The dominant France are looking to make a third consecutive appearance in the World Cup finals. Meanwhile, Morocco will enter the pitch with high confidence following a thumping 3-0 victory against Canada.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)