VIDEO: Paraguay player tries to scuff penalty spot - only for France superstar Kylian Mbappe to score anyway & celebrate in his face

Mbappe once again delivered for France in a crucial moment, converting a 70th-minute penalty after Desire Doue was brought down inside the area. Before the kick was taken, Paraguay players attempted to scuff the penalty spot in an effort to unsettle the Real Madrid forward.

The tactic failed to have any impact. Mbappe fired home his seventh goal of the tournament, moving level with Messi at the top of the Golden Boot standings. He then celebrated directly in front of the Paraguay players following a hard-fought 1-0 victory in sweltering conditions in Philadelphia.

France head coach Didier Deschamps praised his side for maintaining their composure after a physical and tense contest at Lincoln Financial Field. He felt Paraguay relied heavily on aggression and gamesmanship throughout the match.

"It wasn't easy. They used every resource possible," Deschamps told M6. "It is maybe not the kind of football that brings people to the stadium, playing with that aggression, exaggerating everything."

He added in his press conference: "I am not going to criticise the referee but we finished the game with three bookings and yet there were a lot of things going on. I won't criticise Paraguay. Every team can play however they want, but I could do without the insults. The most important thing is that there were no incidents at the end. But all that matters is that we have qualified."

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