Hernández’s lunging cross from the left wing bounced twice through the core of the Argentine defense. Pavard, leaning far to his left, met the ball in midair with the outside of his right foot.

“I took at as it came,” he said. “I told myself that I have to hit it well, and that was the most natural motion. And I also said to myself that I have to keep the ball low so I have to get my weight forward.”

Pavard’s parents, Nathalie and Fréderic, were watching in Jeumont, in northern France on the Belgian border. Jeumont, with just under 10,000 inhabitants, is also where Jean-Pierre Papin, a striker who was once one of France’s biggest stars, began to play the game.

Pavard’s father was a defender for US Maubeuge in the French third division before coaching amateur teams in the region. Now he works in a local hospital. Pavard, an only child, grew up learning from his father and watching his teams, absorbing the nuances and developing his own ambitions.

Pursuing them came at considerable personal cost. Pavard left home when he was 10 to train in the youth program with the French club Lille. He boarded with a series of host families. Pavard grew emotional Sunday when he saw a video made for him by his parents that was played on the French television program Téléfoot.

“We are very proud of you, and we are living a magical moment thanks to you,” his mother said. “Good luck the rest of the way. We send you kisses and will see you very soon.”

Pavard teared up as he listened.

“These are my parents,” he said. “They made enormous sacrifices since I was very young. You cannot forget that I left when I was 10 years old. I was far from my family. Really, they traveled so many kilometers for me. I can never thank them enough for all the efforts they made.”