One Extraordinary Photo: Mbappe's joy and satisfaction after a hard-fought match

PHILDELPHIA (AP) — Martin Meissner is a staff photographer for The Associated Press. He is based in Germany, near Duesseldorf. Meissner has been with the AP for more than 25 years and is covering his sixth World Cup.

I was covering the match between France and Paraguay on Saturday from the right far corner. At the final whistle signaling the end of the match, an emotional Kylian Mbappe shouts out, expressing his joy after France won on his penalty kick and advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals.

I flew to the match in Philadelphia from Boston on Saturday, the morning of America’s birthday, which also happens to be my birthday. The temperatures in the stadium for the July 4 afternoon match were almost 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) — and that was in the shadows. For me, there was no shade. My position for more than three hours was in the far right corner, under the bright hot sun. Due to the extreme heat, a photographer two seats beside me who couldn’t stand it anymore and was led out of the pitch position. For a soccer match on this level, especially when it comes down to just one goal, you have to stay focused until the very end. One moment could have changed the whole story of this hard-fought match. After 10 minutes of additional time, I stayed on the key player of the match — Mbappe — and waited for his reaction using a 400mm long lens.

The moment Mbappe shouts out, his joy encapsulates the entire match in a single image. Paraguay played the entire match using question tactics, repeatedly provoking Mbappe. The physical play was so rough that after the match when the Paraguay goalkeeper extended his hand to congratulate Mbappe, the French superstar swatted it away. This photo at the final whistle captures the sense of satisfaction that came pouring out after winning the match despite the questionable tactics.

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France's Kylian Mbappe (10) celebrates his team victory at the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Paraguay and France in Philadelphia, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

NEW YORK (AP) — A shooting at a Fourth of July cookout near New York's Coney Island beach wounded eight people, including four children, police said.

One of the victims, a 21-year-old woman, was in critical condition while the others were described as being stable and expected to survive, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Sunday.

The shooting occurred Saturday night in the courtyard of an apartment building about a block from the famed Coney Island boardwalk and not far from the site of the Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest held earlier on the holiday.

The police commissioner said a suspect wearing a black mask fired into the courtyard where a family had gathered for a cookout. The shooter fled but police did recover a gun, Tisch said.

The children shot are ages 6, 7, 12 and 14, Tisch said. There were no reports of any earlier disturbances at the gathering, she said.

FILE - New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch speaks during a news conference in New York, on March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)