Paraguay0–1France

France had 76% of the ball, 15 shots, 12 corners — and needed a VAR penalty to get through against a Paraguay side that was physical all night and somehow left without a yellow card. Referee Ilgiz Tantashev let a lot go. Paraguay committed 13 fouls, pressed hard through most of the duels, and eventually put a France player in the medical room — Diego Gómez's challenge on Désiré Doué inside the box at 65' left Doué injured and off the pitch within minutes. That's what broke it open. The penalty was initially cancelled by VAR review, then confirmed. Mbappé stepped up at 70' and put it in the bottom right corner. France's three yellows to Paraguay's none is one version of the story; the scoreline tells another. Orlando Gill made four saves, Julio Enciso went off injured at 61', and Paraguay were genuinely hard to break down. But there were challenges that didn't get called, and the game was rougher than the card count suggests.