Kylian Mbappe expressed his delight after France battled past Paraguay with a hard-fought 1-0 victory to book a place in the quarter-finals of the FIFA 2026 World Cup.
The France captain converted a 70th-minute penalty to settle a bruising Round of 16 contest in Philadelphia, taking his tally to seven goals at the tournament and 19 overall in World Cup history.
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Despite relentless provocation from Paraguay’s defenders in the closing stages, Mbappe praised his team’s resilience and willingness to match their opponents’ physical approach.
“We knew what sort of match we were in for, but I think today went really well,” Mbappe said after the victory.
“They thought we’d turn up in tuxedos, that we’d just come to pull off some spectacular moves.
“But we know how to play the dirty game too. And we did that today; we won, and even in that respect we were better than them.”
The Real Madrid forward said the performance showed France could adapt to any style of football when required.
“The way we played today showed that we’re not just a team that knows how to play attacking football,” he added.
“If we have to get our hands dirty, we’ll get our hands dirty. Sorry for the expression, but we’ve no problem with that.”
The encounter was a fiercely contested affair that somehow produced only three yellow cards, all shown to France.
Tensions reached boiling point before Mbappé’s decisive penalty, with players from both teams confronting each other and Paraguay’s players attempting to scuff up the penalty spot in a bid to unsettle the French captain.
France will now face Morocco in a highly anticipated quarter-final clash in Boston next Thursday, as Didier Deschamps’ side continue their quest for a third World Cup title.
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