Summary
- France secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay in Philadelphia to book their place in the World Cup quarter-finals, but the match was marred by the South American side’s physical tactics, which drew widespread criticism from pundits and fans alike.
- While France players Manu Kone, Bradley Barcola, and Michael Olise were all cautioned, not a single Paraguay player received a yellow card, even when Gabriel Avalos dropped his elbow into the stomach of Dayot Upamecano.
- Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart described Paraguay’s players as “an absolute disgrace,” adding: “If they were on my team, I’d be dragging them off the pitch.” Former England defender Micah Richards called the performance “embarrassing,” while former Scotland winger Pat Nevin noted that Paraguay employed “every single dark art you can use.” France boss Didier Deschamps revealed there were “some insults from the other bench we could have done without,” and even after the final whistle, a scuffle broke out as Velazquez attempted to confront France players.
France secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay in Philadelphia to book their place in the World Cup quarter-finals, but the match was marred by the South American side’s physical tactics, which drew widespread criticism from pundits and fans alike. The win keeps France’s dream of regaining the trophy they last lifted in 2018 alive, but they had to find a new way to win against a Paraguay side that had earlier knocked out Germany on penalties.
The decisive moment came with 20 minutes remaining when Diego Gomez brought down Desire Doue in the box. Referee Ilgiz Tantashev, whose performance was widely criticized for being too lenient, reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor and awarded a penalty. Even then, Paraguay’s players crowded the Uzbek official in an attempt to delay the kick, while Gustavo Velazquez tried to scuff the penalty spot before Kylian Mbappe stepped up to score his seventh goal of the tournament, drawing level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
The match was characterized by Paraguay’s aggressive approach, which included several fouls that went unpunished. Andres Cubas escaped a booking after clattering into Adrien Rabiot, and Juan Jose Caceres kicked out at Mbappe without sanction. While France players Manu Kone, Bradley Barcola, and Michael Olise were all cautioned, not a single Paraguay player received a yellow card, even when Gabriel Avalos dropped his elbow into the stomach of Dayot Upamecano.
Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart described Paraguay’s players as “an absolute disgrace,” adding: “If they were on my team, I’d be dragging them off the pitch.” Former England defender Micah Richards called the performance “embarrassing,” while former Scotland winger Pat Nevin noted that Paraguay employed “every single dark art you can use.”
France boss Didier Deschamps revealed there were “some insults from the other bench we could have done without,” and even after the final whistle, a scuffle broke out as Velazquez attempted to confront France players. France will now face Morocco in the quarter-finals at Boston Stadium on Thursday, with Mbappe’s form and the team’s resilience offering hope for a deep run in the tournament. For Paraguay, their World Cup campaign ended in controversy, with their physical tactics overshadowing their remarkable achievement of reaching the knockout stages.
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