Mbappé penalty sinks Paraguay, then he blasts their 'dirty' football: 'We can get our hands dirty too'
Kylian Mbappé converted a 64th-minute penalty to give France a 1-0 win over Paraguay in the World Cup round of 16, then accused the South Americans of trying to drag the game into the gutter and said his side was ready to match them.
Mbappé's penalty breaks deadlock
France struggled to break down a rugged Paraguay side in Philadelphia, where temperatures hovered around 38°C. The decisive moment came in the 64th minute when substitute Désiré Doué dribbled past several defenders and was brought down by Diego Gómez. Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev initially waved play on, but after a VAR review he pointed to the spot. Mbappé sent goalkeeper Orlando Gill the wrong way, scoring his 19th career World Cup goal and his seventh of the tournament, drawing level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
- Match begins in Philadelphia with temperatures around 38°C.
- Désiré Doué fouled by Diego Gómez; referee Ilgiz Tantashev awards penalty after VAR review.
- Kylian Mbappé converts the penalty, sending Orlando Gill the wrong way for 1-0.
- France wins 1-0 and advances to the quarter-finals.
Mbappé: 'We can get our hands dirty'
After the final whistle, the France captain did not hold back. He said Paraguay had tried to provoke his team and play a physical, disruptive style, but France was ready.
We knew what kind of game we were going to have. We showed we are not just a team that plays attacking football. If we have to get our hands dirty, we'll get our hands dirty. Sorry for the expression. They thought we would come in tuxedos, just to play pretty moves and one-twos. But we also know how to play dirty, and we did it today. We won, and even in that we were better than them.
Mbappé was involved in several scuffles and, according to one report, shouted an insult in Spanish at Paraguay's Galarza. He later said there is no right or wrong way to play, only winning.
Deschamps defends his captain
Coach Didier Deschamps rejected suggestions that Mbappé has become authoritarian since taking the armband, telling reporters that the media portrayal is unfair.
No, he hasn't changed. You make him seem like a dictator. The image some people have of Kylian Mbappé from the outside does not correspond to reality at all.
Deschamps said he had prepared his players for a battle and did not want to criticise Paraguay, though he regretted insults from the opposing bench. Three French players were booked; no Paraguayan received a yellow card.
Post-match tensions
At full time, goalkeeper Orlando Gill offered his hand to Mbappé, who ignored him. Gill then threw the ball at the French forward's back.
I got irritated. I stretched out my hand to congratulate him, but he didn't acknowledge me, so I lost my cool for a moment. Then I calmed down.
Gill also said Paraguay could have taken the game to extra time if the penalty had not been given, and defended his team's intensity: "Paraguay is a tough side, and from the first minute we try to show we are intense in duels."
Quarter-final against Morocco
France now face Morocco in the quarter-finals on 9 July in Boston. Mbappé said the team must recover and focus on the next challenge. Paraguay, who had eliminated Germany on penalties in the previous round (a result that prompted President Santiago Peña to declare a national holiday), exit the tournament after a combative performance.
