Latest Update: France have beaten Peru 1-0 in their Group C game and qualified for the round of 16. The second defeat on the bounce for Peru means their return to the FIFA World Cup after 36 years ends in disappointment. Preview: Read More France have beaten Peru 1-0 in their Group C game and qualified for the round of 16. The second defeat on the bounce for Peru means their return to the FIFA World Cup after 36 years ends in disappointment. Jun 21, 2018 22:23 (IST) That's it then for Peru at the 2018 FIFA World Cup! France beat them 1-0 and the South Americans have been eliminated from the World Cup while Kylian Mbappe's goal takes them to the Round of 16. Jun 21, 2018 22:20 (IST) There will be a minimum of four minutes of stoppage time. France start that period with a corner. They will be in no rush to take it with Dembele and Fekir keeping this near the corner flag. Jun 21, 2018 22:16 (IST) Paolo Guerrero's free-kick from about 30 metres is out tame and comfortably collected by Lloris. That's Peru's first shot on target in the second half. Jun 21, 2018 22:15 (IST) Peru for all their impressive movement and combining in attack, they have not had a shot on target against the French so far in the second half. The French have defended well and soaked up the pressure. Jun 21, 2018 22:13 (IST) Pogba brings down Carrillo close to the centre line as France look to stop their moves well before the penalty box. They will not mind making it ugly in the final few minutes. Jun 21, 2018 22:10 (IST) France had a good chance to close out the contest. Dembele with space to turn and shoot, but he scoffed it and Peru still have a one goal deficit to deal with. Jun 21, 2018 22:08 (IST) France have slowed down the pace of the game as they build from the back. But the move can't go further than the midfield where Dembele loses out on possession. Jun 21, 2018 22:05 (IST) Giroud trying to keep it in the corner with 15 minutes still to go. Peru double team the forward to get away from there and get it going. But the pass forward is wayward and France can rebuild. Jun 21, 2018 22:04 (IST) Peru continue to ask questions of the French defense. Carrillo from the right swings in yet another cross but it's just over it for the forward coming on the far side. Peru have lacked a good final ball, which is their undoing. Jun 21, 2018 21:59 (IST) France expected this to be a tough game in the group stages, and the South Americans have not disappointed them in any way. After the first ten minutes of the second half where France dominated, Peru have taken charge of the game and are making life tough for the French. Jun 21, 2018 21:57 (IST) Peru with a little bit of possession in the French half. They are still in the hunt for the equaliser and by no means out of the contest. Advincula with the effort from outside the box. That was never going to trouble Lloris. Final quarter of the game to go. Can Peru save their campaign? Jun 21, 2018 21:52 (IST) Pogba picks out Giroud with a long diagonal ball who then picks out Mbappe. But the youngster's cross is kept out by Peru. France much more dynamic in attack with added flexibility today as compared to their performance against Australia. Jun 21, 2018 21:50 (IST) Peru looking make something happen from the wings, with Advincula and Farfan pinging in the crosses from both sides. Carrillo then follows it up with a shy at Lloris' goal and it's over the post. The South Americans are asking some questions with their pacy wingers. Jun 21, 2018 21:48 (IST) Pereu's Cueva tries to drive in from the left on his right foot and build something, but there isn't much success as he is crowded out. Jun 21, 2018 21:47 (IST) Carrillo giving Hernandez a little bit of running around before whipping in a dangerous ball into the penalty box. No one is there to meet it. Peru looking to hold on to the possession a little bit more here as the hour mark approaches. Jun 21, 2018 21:46 (IST) Mbappe, on the right is full of tricks as he looks to play in Matuidi. The young man has been completely at home on the big stage. Jun 21, 2018 21:45 (IST) Pogba earns a corner down the left of Advincula. France's big guns have Peru boxed into their own defensive third and are not letting them get out. Jun 21, 2018 21:43 (IST) Griezmann's floated in another free-kick, this time from the left, but Peru clear easily, but hastily, after Pogba tried to keep it alive. Slightly scrappy while inside the Peru half. But ball staying with France and they won't mind that. Jun 21, 2018 21:41 (IST) At the other end Kylian Mbappe, France's youngest World Cup scorer has his ankle tapped by Farfan. France take it quickly but the move fizzles out as Griezmann's cross is over hit for Matuidi and Hernandez. Jun 21, 2018 21:40 (IST) Poor clearance from France's Pavard has seen Farfan take charge for Peru around the French penalty box. He teed up Aquino who smashed it with his right foot and and hit the cross bar. Lloris was beaten over there. France though survive for know. Jun 21, 2018 21:37 (IST) Umtiti is up and about and walking around, though gingerly. Chances are France will look to patch him and see if they can save the substitute. Jun 21, 2018 21:36 (IST) Early injury scare for France in the second half as the defender Samuel Umtiti has landed badly after looking to clear the ball in from Peru. It is unlikely he will be able to continue in this game.<doc-sep>French striker Antoine Griezmann has been passed fit for Thursday's World Cup Group C match with Peru as coach Didier Deschamps seeks to give his side a sharper attacking edge. France, among the tournament favourites, opened with a sluggish 2-1 win over Australia. "What we can see is that there were elements that were lacking and we did have difficulties at the front. That is very clear, and I did say so at the end of the match," Deschamps told reporters on the eve of the game in Yekaterinburg. "The aim here is to make sure we do better tomorrow." Deschamps said Griezmann, who opened the scoring with a penalty against Australia, was fully fit. "He's well. There was a little concern with one of his ankles, which was a little bit swollen after the match. He wasn't at this best during the match, he had heavy legs," said the coach. Dynamic midfielder N'Golo Kante also struggled in the first game: "This meant we weren't able to have enough dynamism in attack, and not enough efficiency." Deschamps did not rule out starting with Olivier Giroud, even if his comments on the striker were ambivalent. "The problem with Olivier is very often when he plays, he plays in his own register, he's not in the same register as the others. But when he's not there, we realise how useful he is," Deschamps said. The 49-year-old, a member of France's 1998 World Cup winning team, said Peru should not be underestimated. "They have excellent players up front, they have some very fast players," he said, singling out Paolo Guerrero and Jefferson Farfan.<doc-sep>France, one of the favourites for the FIFA World Cup 2018, sealed their spot in the Round of 16 with a 1-0 Group C win over Peru at the Central Stadium in Yekaterinburg on Thursday evening. On the other hand, Peru have been knocked out after two consecutive losses to Denmark and France. Kylian Mbappe scored the lone goal of the match in the 34th minute which proved to be the difference between the two teams. Get highlights of France vs Peru, FIFA World Cup 2018 Group C encounter, here. (FIFA World Cup 2018 FULL COVERAGE) 22:25 hrs IST: Thanks for following the blog 22:40 hrs IST: Despite 56% of ball possession, Peru failed to score a goal on Thursday 22:35 hrs IST: Kylian Mbappe, the goal scorer, has been named Man of the Match 22:30 hrs IST: France have entered the Round of 16 while Peru have to exit the World Cup in the first round itself 22:24 hrs IST: France win 1-0 and enter the last 16 22:20 hrs IST: Four minutes of extra time 22:17 hrs IST: Chance for Peru... but straight into the hands of Lloris 22:13 hrs IST: Fekir comes in to replace Griezmann 22:10 hrs IST: 10 more minutes and France will be through to Round of 16 22:05 hrs IST: Mbappe is subbed and Dembele comes in 22:01 hrs IST: And less than 17 minutes left for the match and with that hangs Peru’s survival in the tournament 21:55 hrs IST: Peru are on the lookout for an equaliser here now and quite desperately. A loss will mean they are out of the World Cup 21:50 hrs IST: France are unbeaten in World Cup matches when they have held a lead at half-time - winning 19 and drawing one on the 20 previous occasions 21:43 hrs IST: Free-kick for France. Can they extend their lead? 21:39 hrs IST: Samuel Umtiti looks seriously injured and is walking off 21:36 hrs IST: 32,789 is the official attendance today. 21:30 hrs IST: France have had only 47 percent of possession and Peru 53 at half-time 21:25 hrs IST: Kylian Mbappe is now the youngest French goal-scorer at a World Cup, aged 19 years and 183 days, surpassing David Trezeguet (20 years and 246 days) 21:20 hrs IST: And it is half-time! The French are 1-0 ahead at the break thanks to the Mbappe goal 21:17 hrs IST: Two minutes of extra time 21:14 hrs IST: Giroud broke in behind the Peru defence and when his strike towards the net struck a defender and looped over the goalkeeper, Mbappe was left with the simplest finish to break the deadlock 21:12 hrs IST: GOAL! Mbappe puts France ahead 1-0 in the 34th minute! 21:10 hrs IST: However, France are unbeaten in their past seven World Cup matches against CONMEBOL opposition, a run that spans 40 years 21:07 hrs IST: In the only previous meeting between the two sides, Peru were victorious when they won a friendly in April 1982 21:03 hrs IST: Paolo Guerrero of Peru has been booked now. Both teams have got one yellow so far 21:00 hrs IST: Ball possession has been 50-50 so far. Good competition so far from Peru 20:57 hrs IST: After 24 minutes it is still 0-0 20:56 hrs IST: A lot of support for Peru in Ekaterinburg today, clearly outnumbering that of France fans 20:53 hrs IST: France’s Blaise Matuidi has been shown a yellow by the referee, the first of the match 20:51 hrs IST: France clearly look the favourites as of now 20:48 hrs IST: Another corner for the Europeans and..... misses the net again 20:45 hrs IST: It is a corner for France and goes a waste 20:40 hrs IST: Griezmannnnnnnnnnnn... goes wide at the end 20:37 hrs IST: France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is playing his 100th international 20:32 hrs IST: Meanwhile, over one million fans have attended games at the World Cup, organisers FIFA said on Thursday after Denmark’s 1-1 draw with Australia, the 21st match of the tournament 20:30 hrs IST: Anthems are over. It is play time! 20:28 hrs IST: France have not lost to a South American opposition at a World Cup since 1978 20:25 hrs IST: Earlier, in the day Denmark were held to a 1-1 draw against Spain. You can read the report here 20:20 hrs IST: While France won their first match of the tournament against Australia 2-1, Peru lost to Denmark 0-1 20:15 hrs IST: For Peru, Jefferson Farfan and Renato Tapia are pushed to the bench with Pedro Aquino coming in. Guerrero, 34, is Peru’s all-time top goal-scorer but was cleared to play in the tournament only two weeks before it started when he won a reprieve from a doping ban over a cocaine byproduct contained in a tea he drank 20:10 hrs IST: France and Peru both switched their attacking line-ups for their Group C match with ‘Les Bleus’ bringing in the experienced Olivier Giroud and Paolo Guerrero starting. Coach Didier Deschamps acknowledged that France had lacked dynamism in attack in their first game against Australia, where they laboured to a 2-1 victory. In the French starting lineup Giroud and Blaise Matuidi come in to replace Ousmane Dembele and Corentin Tolisso 20:05: hrs IST: The match will be played at the Central Stadium in Yekaterinburg 20:00 hrs IST: Hello and welcome to the live blog of the Group C match between France and Peru Didier Deschamps’s team were far from fluid against Australia in their opening game in Russia, needing VAR (the Video Assistant Referee) and consequent Antoine Griezmann penalty, then an own goal about 10 minutes from time, to snatch a 2-1 win. But, while unconvincing, a French side featuring a misfiring front three of the usually prolific Griezmann and starlets Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele at least avoided embarrassment. Peru, backed by their vocal fans who have travelled in numbers, were the better side for long spells against the Danes and missed a golden opportunity to go in front when Christian Cueva ballooned his penalty over Kasper Schmeichel’s crossbar.<doc-sep>Kylian Mbappé’s first-half goal was enough to see France into the knockout stages and knock Peru out<doc-sep>
Kylian Mbappe's goal gave France a 1-0 win over Peru in their Group C match at Ekaterinburg Arena in Ekaterinburg. With the goal, Mbappe became the first teenager in history to score for France at either the World Cup or European Championships. Successive wins over Australia and Peru helped France reach the last 16. The chance for Mbappe came in the 34th minute after Peru gave the ball away deep in their own half where Paul Pogba picked it up. Pogba played a pass to Olivier Giroud, whose low strike was saved by goalkeeper Pedro Gallese at first, but later fell nicely for Mbappe to slot into an open net from a yard out. France should have netted three or four but credit to some good goalkeeping by Peru's Gallese. N'Golo Kante, the France midfielder, was solid in the middle of the park as he made more tackles, interceptions and clearances than any other player in this first half. Paolo Guerrero had the best chance for Peru but a solid save by Hugo Lloris for France prevented them from getting on level terms. (Highlights: France vs Peru) Highlights of 2018 FIFA World Cup, France vs Peru, straight from the Ekaterinburg Arena, Ekaterinburg 22:23 IST: And its over. France beat Peru 1-0 in their Group C clash. France are through to the last 16 after back-to-back wins. 22:22 IST: Free kick for Peru. This has to be their moment. Chance missed. 22:19 IST: We are into a minimum of 4 minutes of stoppage time. 22:13 IST: SUBSTITUTION! Raul Ruidiaz comes on for the latter stages, while Christian Cueva departs. 22:10 IST: Final ten minutes of the game to go. 22:03 IST: Someone has to conjure up some magic for Peru soon. Only 16 minutes to go. They need at least a point. France have been superb at the back. #FRA are unbeaten at the #WorldCup when leading at half-time: W19-D1-L0. Is this a record they are set to maintain?#FRAPER pic.twitter.com/hJm8d62HPC — FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 21, 2018 21:57 IST: This is a captivating match. Peru are still striving for that elusive equaliser. Peru need something special from someone real soon. | France 1-0 Peru after 68 minutes 21:52 IST: SHOT! A little too high from Andre Carrillo. Didn't trouble the French keeper. 21:50 IST: Pogba has been superb so far. He gets a lot of slack for his club but he been phenomenal for France. | France 1-0 Peru after 61 minutes 21:45 IST: Lloris plays his 100th international match today. 21:40 IST: WHAT A SHOT! Pedro Aquino Sanchez hits an unstoppable shot in the 50th minute but he is unlucky that it hit the cross bar. That's the closest Peru got to scoring in this half. | France 1-0 Peru after 52 minutes 21:36 IST: Peru make two changes. Santamaria and Farfan replace Yotun and Rodriguez to add more attacking threat. 21:33 IST: Second half begins. 21:17 IST: Halftime | France 1-0 Peru A good display of football between these two sides. Mbappe's goal the difference. Peru had their share of chances but France got their goal and the lead. Peru need to get atleast a point if they want to stay in the competition. Here are all the stats from the first half...#FRAPER pic.twitter.com/pnz2etC2ci — FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 21, 2018 21:15 IST: After regular 45 minutes, two minutes of stoppage time added. 21:12 IST: Final three minutes to go for the halftime. 21:10 IST: France are growing in confidence after Mbappe's opening goal. 21:06 IST: GOAL! 34th minute. Mbappe becomes the youngest-ever goalscorer for France. Pogba's brilliant pass to Giroud which ricochets off Peruvian defender Rodriguez towards Mbappe's path. | France 1-0 Peru after 35 minutes 21:02 IST: WHAT A SAVE! Peru's best chance falling to captain Paolo Guerrero in the 30th minute. Good stop in the end by the French keeper Lloris. Peru were close to taking the lead in this fixture. | France 0-0 Peru after 32 minutes 20:57 IST: Mbappe tries to nutmeg but failes and loses the ball in the process. Peru counter but the French defenders handle it well. | France 0-0 Peru after 27 minutes 20:52 IST: YELLOW CARD! Peru's Paolo Guerrero booked for arguing with the referee in the 22nd minute. 20:46 IST: Griezmann's half-volley saved by the Peru keeper. France beginning to dominate. Blaise Matuidi booked for a foul in the 16th minute. | France 0-0 Peru after 17 minutes 20:46 IST: Chance for France!