FIFA World Cup 2026:કિલિયન એમ્બાપ્પેના નિર્ણાયક ગોલથી પરાગ્વેને હરાવી…

તેમના નિર્ણાયક પ્રદર્શનના કારણે ફ્રાન્સે પરાગ્વેને 1-0થી હરાવી સતત ચોથી વખત વર્લ્ડ કપના ક્વાર્ટર ફાઇનલમાં સ્થાન મેળવ્યું છે. 5 જુલાઈ (રવિવાર)ના રોજ ફિલાડેલ્ફિયાના ફિલાડેલ્ફિયા સ્ટેડિયમમાં રમાયેલી આ મેચમાં લગભગ 38 ડિગ્રી સેલ્સિયસ તાપમાન વચ્ચે બંને ટીમો વચ્ચે જોરદાર ટક્કર જોવા મળી હતી.

પરાગ્વેએ લાંબા સમય સુધી ફ્રાન્સના આક્રમણને રોકીને રાખ્યું

મેચ દરમિયાન પરાગ્વેએ લાંબા સમય સુધી ફ્રાન્સના આક્રમણને રોકીને રાખ્યું હતું. તેમના ડિફેન્ડર અને ગોલકીપરે ફ્રાન્સને ગોલ કરવાની ઘણી તકો મળવા દીધી નહોતી. જોકે, મેચની 70મી મિનિટે વિડિયો આસિસ્ટન્ટ રેફરી (VAR)ની મદદથી ફ્રાન્સને પેનલ્ટી મળી. પરાગ્વેના ખેલાડી ડિએગો ગોમેઝ દ્વારા કરવામાં આવેલા ફાઉલ બાદ રેફરીએ પેનલ્ટી ફટકારી અને કિલિયન એમ્બાપ્પેએ કોઈ ભૂલ કર્યા વગર બોલને ગોલપોસ્ટમાં મોકલી પોતાની ટીમને મહત્વપૂર્ણ જીત અપાવી. sport-newz.biz

કિલિયન એમ્બાપ્પેએ ફિફા વર્લ્ડ કપમાં પોતાનો 19મો ગોલ નોંધાવ્યો

આ ગોલ સાથે કિલિયન એમ્બાપ્પેએ ફિફા વર્લ્ડ કપમાં પોતાનો 19મો ગોલ નોંધાવ્યો છે. ખાસ વાત એ છે કે તેમણે માત્ર 19 મેચમાં આ સિદ્ધિ મેળવી છે. હવે તેઓ વર્લ્ડ કપ ઇતિહાસમાં સૌથી વધુ ગોલ કરનાર ખેલાડી લિયોનેલ મેસીથી માત્ર એક ગોલ પાછળ છે. મેસીના નામે હાલમાં 20 વર્લ્ડ કપ ગોલ નોંધાયેલા છે.

ગોલ્ડન બૂટની રેસમાં એમ્બાપ્પે આગળ

ફિફા વર્લ્ડ કપ 2026માં કિલિયન એમ્બાપ્પે અત્યાર સુધી કુલ 7 ગોલ કરી ચૂક્યા છે અને ગોલ્ડન બૂટની રેસમાં ટોચ પર છે. લિયોનેલ મેસીએ પણ 7 ગોલ કર્યા છે, પરંતુ એમ્બાપ્પેના ખાતામાં બે અસિસ્ટ પણ નોંધાયા હોવાથી તેઓ આગળ છે. ચાર વર્ષ પહેલાં કતારમાં રમાયેલા ફિફા વર્લ્ડ કપમાં પણ એમ્બાપ્પેએ ગોલ્ડન બૂટ જીત્યો હતો, જોકે ફાઇનલમાં મેસીની આગેવાની હેઠળની આર્જેન્ટિનાએ ફ્રાન્સને હરાવી વર્લ્ડ કપ ટ્રોફી જીતી હતી.

પરાગ્વેના ગોલકીપરનું શાનદાર પ્રદર્શન

પરાગ્વેના ગોલકીપર ઓર્લાન્ડો ગિલે મેચ દરમિયાન અનેક શાનદાર બચાવ કર્યા હતા. તેમણે કિલિયન એમ્બાપ્પેના બે જોખમી શોટ્સને ઇન્જરી ટાઇમમાં રોકી દીધા હતા. ઉપરાંત મનુ કોનેના ઉત્તમ પ્રયાસને પણ ગોલ બનતા અટકાવ્યો હતો. જોકે પેનલ્ટી પર એમ્બાપ્પેના સચોટ શોટ સામે તેઓ નિષ્ફળ રહ્યા હતા.

હવે મોરોક્કો સામે ટક્કર

આ જીત સાથે ફ્રાન્સે સતત ચોથી વખત ફિફા વર્લ્ડ કપના ક્વાર્ટર ફાઇનલમાં પ્રવેશ કર્યો છે. હવે તેનો સામનો 10 જુલાઈએ ફોક્સબોરોના બોસ્ટન સ્ટેડિયમમાં મોરોક્કો સામે થશે. ફ્રાન્સની નજર સતત બીજી વખત વર્લ્ડ કપની ફાઇનલમાં પહોંચવા પર રહેશે, જ્યારે કિલિયન એમ્બાપ્પે લિયોનેલ મેસીના વર્લ્ડ કપ ગોલના રેકોર્ડની બરાબરી અથવા તેને પાછળ છોડવાની સાથે વધુ એક વખત ગોલ્ડન બૂટ જીતવાનો પ્રયાસ કરશે.

Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) [US], July 5 (ANI): France head coach Didier Deschamps said Paraguay used “every trick in the book" during their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 encounter, while praising his players for staying composed in a hard-fought 1-0 victory that sent Les Bleus into the quarterfinals, according to Reuters.

Speaking after the match, Deschamps said he had instructed his players to protect striker Kylian Mbappe, anticipating physical challenges from the opposition.

“I asked the two biggest lads to go and stand around Kylian at the end because they were going to chop him down," Deschamps said, as quoted by Reuters.

The France coach acknowledged Paraguay’s disciplined defensive performance but criticised their approach, saying it made for an unattractive contest.

“It wasn’t easy. They use every trick in the book. It’s not the kind of football that will bring people to the stadium, but they defended well. It is always difficult against these South American teams," he said, as quoted by Reuters.

France booked a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the Round of 16 at Lincoln Financial Field, thanks to Kylian Mbappe’s second-half penalty.

Despite dominating possession, Les Bleus found it difficult to break down Paraguay’s disciplined defence, with the South Americans frustrating Didier Deschamps’ side throughout the opening half.

The match became only the third FIFA World Cup knockout fixture since 1966 to reach halftime without a single shot on target, while tensions flared following a challenge on Mbappe that sparked a mass confrontation.

France finally broke the deadlock in the 66th minute after Desire Doue won a penalty, which Mbappe converted calmly. Paraguay pressed for an equaliser until the final whistle, but France held firm to secure victory and set up a quarterfinal clash with Morocco. (ANI)

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Paraguay vs France FIFA World Cup 2026: Kylian Mbappe and France managed to keep their cool in an ill-tempered FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 contest against Paraguay at the Lincoln Financial Field Stadium in Philadelphia on Saturday to emerge victorious with a 1-0 margin and book their place in the quarterfinal. The 2018 World Cup winners will now go up against Morocco, who defeated co-hosts Canada 3-0, in the quarterfinal match at the Gillette Stadium in Boston on Thursday.

Mbappe was once again the hero of the win but was embroiled in a controversy after the win. In face of Paraguay’s relentless onslaught, the French captain chose to ignore Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill’s extended hand in a show of sportsmanship after the game. Gill in response threw the ball at Mbappe’s jersey.

WATCH Orlando Gill throw ball at Kylian Mbappe HERE…

A reação do Orlando Gil, goleiro do Paraguai, após Kylian Mbappé não cumprimentá-lo pic.twitter.com/EMoJaWLPFE

— LIBERTA DEPRE (@liberta___depre) July 5, 2026

Paraguay attempted to bait the French skipper and provoke fights but the 2022 World Cup runners-up kept their cool. The South American team surprisingly were not handed a single card throughout the match, making it the first such World Cup game for them since 1998 clash vs Nigeria.

Mbappe scored his 19th career World Cup goal and France survived stifling heat of Philadelphia to beat Paraguay 1-0 on Saturday, sending Les Bleus into the quarterfinals for the fourth straight time. “We knew what kind of match it was going to be. We can also get our hands dirty, we know how to do it. We know how to play ugly football. Guess they were thinking we were going to show up in tuxedos, but we were ready,” Mbappe was quoted as saying by AP news agency.

The current Golden Boot leader finally broke through against a physical Paraguay team when he converted a penalty kick in the 70th minute. Mbappe extended his record as the leading scorer in World Cup knockout game with his 11th goal. He also became the first player to score in the Round of 16 at three consecutive World Cup matches, having also found the back of the net in 2018 and 2022 editions.

Mbappe was awarded the penalty when Diego Gomez was called for tripping after a video review. He converted for his 19th goal in 19 World Cup appearances, one behind career record holder Lionel Messi of Argentina. Mbappe and Messi each have seven goals in this tournament to top the Golden Boot race but the Frenchman is in lead thanks to his two assists in the World Cup so far.

The Real Madrid striker had won the Golden Boot award four years ago, but Messi and Argentina beat France in the final. Mbappe is now the only player to score at least three goals in the knockout stage of three World Cups.

The 26-year-old Gill had trumped over German legend Manuel Neuer in a penalty shootout in the previous round. He lost his cool after the loss to France when he chucked the ball at Mbappe.

“I tried to shake his hand, but since he didn’t pay me any attention, I lost my temper. But anyway, that was all I did; I calmed down afterward,” Gill said after the match

The ‘Les Bleus’ have scored 13 goals in the first five games of the tournament but were kept in check the first half by a Paraguay team trying to turn the match into a fist fight. Tempers flared when Andres Cubas took down Mbappe and the teams briefly pushed and shoved each other. Matias Galarza also threw his right elbow into Mbappe and sent him crashing to the grass.

New Jersey [US], July 5 (ANI): Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti and midfielder Bruno Guimaraes have identified Norway striker Erling Haaland as the biggest threat ahead of their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash, saying the five-time champions must limit his opportunities to keep him quiet, according to Reuters.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the knockout fixture, Ancelotti said Haaland’s qualities are well known and that Brazil’s defenders understand the challenge awaiting them.

“Everyone knows Haaland," Ancelotti said, as quoted by Reuters. “I don’t have to explain to my defenders how Haaland plays. They know him better than I do because they have played against him many times."

The Brazil coach said his side had prepared specifically to deal with the Manchester City striker’s strengths.

“We are focused on preparing well for the match, obviously including Haaland’s characteristics, which we must take into account because he is a very, very dangerous forward," he added, as quoted by Reuters.

Meanwhile, Midfielder Bruno Guimaraes said Brazil’s priority would be to prevent Haaland from receiving quality service in dangerous areas.

“We have to try to prevent the ball from reaching him," Guimaraes said. “We will be attacking, but there always has to be someone glued to him so we don’t give him space, because we know that with just one ball he can decide a match."

Guimaraes also warned that Norway would look to exploit set-piece situations and said Brazil had spent the week preparing to counter that threat.

“They will put a lot of balls into our box and, at every corner or free kick, they will give everything to try to score," he said.

“We trained a lot during the week to neutralise their strengths. It is going to be a very difficult match," he added.

Brazil will take on Norway in the Round of 16 as the five-time world champions aim to secure a place in the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup 2026. (ANI)

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