France had to stay patient to book their place in the World Cup quarter-finals.

Paraguay frustrated Les Bleus for most of the match and refused to give them any rhythm. France pushed, probed and kept searching for a breakthrough before a late goal finally broke Paraguay’s resistance and sealed a hard-fought win.

Here are our Scout Notes from the Pharaohs’ victory, featuring match stats from our World Cup Toolkit page.

• READ MORE: Who the bookies think will progress in the remaining last-16 ties

FRANCE 1-0 PARAGUAY

• Goal: Mbappe
• Penalty win: Doue
• Tackles won bonus: Cubas
• Shots on target bonus: Mbappe x2
• Top points scorers: Digne, Mbappe (both 9), Upamecano, Saliba, Maignan, Kounde (all 7)

TEAM STATS

PLAYER STATS

SCOUT NOTES

• France made one enforced change to the side that comfortably beat Sweden in the Round of 32. Aurélien Tchouaméni’s ($6.5m) injury handed Manu Koné ($6.1m) his third start of the tournament.
• Long-serving assistant coach Guy Stéphan provided an update on Tchouaméni’s condition, saying:

“Aurélien Tchouameni is suffering from a minor muscle strain in his adductors that requires a few days of rest.” – via @DonFcgb

• Many expected further rotation elsewhere. Theo Hernández ($5.0m) could have replaced Lucas Digne ($5.0m) at left-back, while Désiré Doué ($7.5m) looked like a possible alternative to Bradley Barcola ($8.0m) on the left wing. Neither change came. That felt notable, especially after Deschamps recently said this about the Digne/Hernández battle:

“I choose for each match. There is an alternation. There can also be alternation higher up the pitch and on the other side too. I know both players well. Speaking more specifically about Lucas and Theo, they don’t have the same profile. The important thing is that only 11 players can start.

I want the one who starts to be very good, and if the other comes on, I want him to be very good too. I have choices to make, but not only there. Sharing the playing time has been a good thing for both players.”

• Deschamps also discussed the competition between Doué and Barcola, adding:

“Barcola hasn’t always had the ability to come on well or start matches well. Now he is doing well. Doué had a little hesitation, a little nervousness in the first match, but they are both players made for the highest level. They can play on the left, on the right and sometimes even through the middle with their clubs.”

• Digne and Barcola both kept their places, but their displays did little to cement them. The competition for those positions remains wide open, especially after two underwhelming performances.
• France dominated the game from start to finish. They controlled 76% of the possession, registered three times as many shots on goal as Paraguay and generated 1.45 xG (expected goals), compared to just 0.13 for their opponents. They only scored once, though, and created just two big chances. That disappointed plenty of Fantasy managers, especially those who tripled or even quadrupled up on the France attack. The free-scoring France side that had scored at least three goals in each of their previous four matches couldn’t hit the same heights this time.
• The clean sheet was another major positive. Paraguay barely threatened. Maurício Magalhães Prado ($4.6m) forced a save from distance, but that was about it. Paraguay finished with no big chances and just 0.13 xG. Those numbers continue to strengthen the appeal of Mike Maignan ($5.0m), Dayot Upamecano ($5.3m), William Saliba ($5.3m) and Jules Koundé ($5.4m). Digne is riskier for minutes than those options, but he remains the only France defender with Scouting Bonus potential.
• Several France attackers struggled to impose themselves. Barcola created two chances but finished with an xGI (expected goal involvement) of just 0.08 before making way shortly after the hour mark. Michael Olise ($9.5m) showed flashes of quality, but rarely threatened the goal. He managed just one key pass and never looked like scoring.
• Ousmane Dembélé ($10.0m) offered slightly more. His early corner led to a Koundé volley that the goalkeeper dealt with comfortably. He also forced another effort from a tight angle after a long ball broke kindly for him. Outside of those moments, however, he also struggled to influence the match.
• Désiré Doué ($7.5m) arguably made the biggest impact of any France attacker despite playing only around 30 minutes. His driving run into the box won the decisive penalty. He then burst forward again late on and teed up Kylian Mbappé ($10.5m) for another excellent chance. That cameo may have strengthened his case to start the next match.
• Mbappé once again led the attack. He calmly converted the penalty that Doué won to score the only goal of the game. He had few openings before the break but came alive late on. He forced an excellent double save from close range and looked the player most likely to score again. Mbappé has now returned at least nine Fantasy points in every match at this World Cup. That consistency continues to make him the standout captaincy option, while those who have backed one of his teammates instead have generally paid the price.
• France didn’t have everything their own way. Paraguay made them work hard for the victory and limited the number of clear-cut chances, as well as attempting to rile their opponents with some physical play and so-called ‘dark arts’. After the match, Deschamps reflected on the nature of the win, saying:

“Until now we’ve made some matches look easy, but we knew this would be a very particular game… I’m convinced it will help us going forward. We faced an opponent who defended very well… We should have moved the ball quicker and shown more penetration.”

• The victory also came at a cost. Deschamps revealed after the match that several players had picked up issues, saying:

“We have time for everything because we have five days. We need to let everyone enjoy this as well. We have 48 hours to recover properly because the fatigue is building up. There are a few little knocks as well. Then, on the third day, we’ll switch our focus.”

• Deschamps didn’t reveal which players had picked up the knocks, so keeping a close eye on team news before the next deadline could prove crucial for Fantasy managers with France assets.