Blaise Matuidi (back) of France vies with Andre Carrillo of Peru during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Group C match between France and Peru in Yekaterinburg, Russia, June 21, 2018. (Xinhua/Du Yu)
Kylian Mbappe's first World Cup goal helped France beat Peru 1-0 in a World Cup Group C game at the Yekaterinburg Arena on Thursday.
With the second consecutive victory in the group stage, France reached the round of 16 and also made Peru lose their hope of surviving the World Cup group stage.
France forward Mbappe broke the deadlock and scored the lone goal of the game. The 19-year-old player, having been chosen as man of the match, made a right footed shot from very close range in the 34th minute and scored his first goal at the World Cup.
Peru captain Paolo Guerrero nearly scored in the 30th minute through a left-footed shot but his effort was saved by France captain Hugo Lloris.
Peru coach Ricardo Gareca made two replacements after the interval and they pushed forward in search of an equalizer in the second half.
Another great chance came in the 50th minute, but the strike from Pedro Aquino hit the woodwork.
During the last 30 minutes of the second half, Peru almost laid siege to the French box and showed more attacking intents but failed to get even.
FIFA statistics showed that Peru made 10 attempts at the goal throughout the match, while France made 12. Ball possession was 56 percent for Peru and 44 percent for Denmark.
A total of 32,789 spectators attended Thursday's match at the 35,000-seat Yekaterinburg Arena, among which Peru fans outnumbered France supporters by a large margin.
