France will face Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals after edging past Paraguay 1-0, while the Atlas Lions booked their place with a convincing 3-0 victory over Canada, ending the co-hosts' historic run in the tournament.
France had to dig deep to see off a stubborn Paraguay side, with Kylian Mbappé's second-half penalty securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory and a place in the World Cup quarter-finals.
Paraguay frustrated Les Bleus for long spells with disciplined defending and a physical approach, but Désiré Doué's lively introduction changed the game as he won the decisive spot-kick.
Mbappé's seventh goal of the tournament also drew him level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, as France set up a quarter-final meeting with Morocco.
Azzedine Ounahi scored twice as Morocco secured a second successive appearance in the last eight, continuing their impressive campaign with a composed display.
The breakthrough came five minutes into the second half following a cleverly worked free-kick. Achraf Hakimi's low pass from the right found Ounahi, who swept a first-time effort from around 25 yards into the bottom corner to give Morocco the lead.
Canada, appearing in the knockout stages on home soil, struggled to respond as Morocco controlled much of the second half.
Ounahi doubled the advantage in the 82nd minute after a swift four-on-two counter-attack. Brahim Diaz picked out the midfielder, who fired an emphatic finish into the top corner to all but seal victory.
Substitute Soufiane Rahimi added a third late on, finishing another rapid breakaway to cap an impressive performance from the North African side.
Morocco's victory came despite an early setback, with striker Ismael Saibari, who had scored three goals during the tournament, forced off in the first half with a hamstring injury.
The result ends Canada's memorable World Cup campaign, which saw the co-host's reach the knockout stages and set a new national benchmark in the competition.
Morocco will now face France in the quarter-finals on 9 July, as they look to continue their pursuit of a first World Cup title.
Saudi Arabia’s air defences have intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone over the Riyadh region, according to the Saudi-led coalition fight...
Police were deployed across Paris on Saturday, as a curfew was set to take effect in the Republique and Chât...
A drone strike hit a power station in northern Sudan early Sunday (1 November), sparking a fire and triggering loud explosions, witnesses said....
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estimated $2.1 billion, but Kyiv could face years of delays before receiving the weapons it urgently needs to defend against intensifying Russian attacks.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered Iran's armed forces to respond to any threat immediately and without geographical limits in statements posted to social media platforms on Saturday (31 October).
Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and placards supporting the hijab gathered outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in London.
A Chinese-made AI chip has matched Nvidia’s H200 in tests conducted by its developer, marking a potential breakthrough in China’s efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign technology.
A hacking group linked to North Korea is widely believed to be behind the theft of $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency giant Binance, a cyberattack that experts describe as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
Police were deployed across Paris on Saturday, as a curfew was set to take effect in the Republique and Châtelet-Les Halles areas from 11pm Saturday until 6am Sunday (1 November).
A drone strike hit a power station in northern Sudan early Sunday (1 November), sparking a fire and triggering loud explosions, witnesses said.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education and living costs. Violence erupted in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police reported Molotov cocktail attacks.
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's foreign intelligence agency, MI6, as a hostile group, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Thousands protested in Albania's capital, Tirana, on Saturday (31 October), demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation over perceived corruption allegations and dissatisfaction with the government over a lack of jobs and poor education standards.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment