France edge Paraguay 1-0 in bruising World Cup clash; referee Tantashev under fire for no cards
Kylian Mbappe's 70th-minute penalty gave France a 1-0 win over Paraguay in the World Cup last 16, but the match was overshadowed by Paraguay's aggressive play and Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev's failure to issue a single yellow card to the South Americans.
France edge past Paraguay in bruising encounter
France advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Kylian Mbappe converted a 70th-minute penalty after substitute Désiré Doué was fouled by Diego Gomez, settling a match in which the South Americans focused almost entirely on defence. Paraguay held just 19% possession in the first half and did not register a shot on target until late in the game. France dominated but struggled to break down a five-man backline, with Jules Kounde forcing the only save of the opening period in the 36th minute.
I asked the two biggest guys to stand around Kylian at the end because the opponents were going to 'cut him down'.
The physical approach escalated throughout the second half. Paraguay committed 13 fouls, yet Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev did not show a single yellow card to any Paraguayan player. France, by contrast, received three cautions. After the final whistle, Mbappe ignored a handshake offer from goalkeeper Orlando Gill, who then threw the ball at the striker's back. Mbappe later said his team had expected a physical battle and were prepared to "play ugly football" if necessary.
- Kick-off at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
- Jules Kounde forces the first save from Orlando Gill
- Désiré Doué replaces Bradley Barcola
- Mbappe converts penalty after foul on Doué
- Rayan Cherki replaces Ousmane Dembélé
- France win 1-0, advance to quarterfinals
Referee Tantashev under fire
Tantashev's performance drew widespread condemnation. French sports daily L'Equipe rated him 1 out of 10, while RMC Sport was equally scathing. Former FIFA referees and journalists called for his suspension. Polish pundit Tomasz Hajto said Paraguay "looked like a team suited for freak fights" and argued the referee should be sidelined for years. English journalist Kris Temple noted that FIFA's policy of confederation neutrality had backfired, as there are few top-level referees outside Europe and South America. Reports suggested FIFA officials were outraged and that Pierluigi Collina and Massimo Busacca faced their toughest situation in years.
Paraguay looked like a team suited for freak fights.... That referee should be suspended for the next two or three years.
Paraguay's players also allegedly directed insults at Deschamps referencing his recently deceased mother. Goalkeeper Gill defended his team, saying they "leave with our heads held high" and that the penalty decision was the only difference.
Morocco cruise past Canada
In the night's other last-16 tie, Morocco dispatched Canada 3-0 to book a quarterfinal spot. Azzedine Ounahi broke the deadlock just after halftime with a long-range strike and added a second in the 80th minute, both times following creative play from Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Diaz. Diaz also set up Soufiane Rahimi for the third goal. Canada had frustrated Morocco in the first half but could not withstand the Atlas Lions' individual quality after the break.
Quarterfinal set: France vs Morocco
The results set up a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semifinal, which France won 2-0. The quarterfinal will be played on Thursday, 9 July at 22:00 local time. Morocco, semifinalists in Qatar, will aim to avenge that defeat, while France seek to continue their title defence.
