France 1-0 Peru: World Cup highlights and recap

France beat Peru 1-0 in the second game of Group C of the World Cup on Thursday, June 21. Here are the highlights from the match.

France booked their place in the round of 16 with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Peru on Thursday thanks to a first-half goal by Kylian Mbappe, who became only the 12th teenager ever to score at the World Cup.

Les Bleus started slowly, struggling to establish any meaningful possession as Peru surged forward early on, but after around 15 minutes N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba and Blaise Matuidi started to take control in midfield.

Even so, Los Incas had the first good chance of the match after half an hour, Paolo Guerrero drilling a shot that Hugo Lloris did well to save with his leg. That proved to be something of a turning point, as France dominated the remainder of the half.

They probably should have taken the lead sooner than they did, with Mbappe failing to connect with a back heel after a nice ball by Pogba. The PSG forward made amends about a minute later, tapping in after Olivier Giroud’s shot had deflected over Pedro Gallese.

The goal seemed to have marked a decisive shift in momentum, as Didier Deschamps’ side dominated the remainder of the half, playing with a speed and verve we have seen all too rarely from this group of players.

That proved to be short lived, however, as Peru reestablished a foothold in the game in the second half. Pedro Aquino almost equalized in the 51st with a powerful shot with the outside of his foot that grazed the post before going wide.

From there, France dropped off, seemingly happy to hold on to their one goal lead, a strange tactic given the problems they had been causing Peru’s defense, not to mention their superior talent. Still, it proved effective, as they ensured a spot in the next round.

Next: The best player on every team at the World Cup

Highlights

France’s final group match will be against Denmark on Tuesday, June 26. Peru play Australia at the same time.