Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Kylian Mbappe eventually found the one moment Paraguay could not survive.
For 70 minutes, France’s talisman was kicked, crowded, wrestled and frustrated as Paraguay turned their World Cup Round of 16 clash into an attritional battle fought as much through grit as quality. The South Americans, fresh from their penalty shoot-out upset over Germany, arrived with little interest in matching France’s star power and every intention of disrupting it. They succeeded for long stretches, but when substitute Desire Doue burst into the penalty area and was brought down by Diego Gomez, Mbappe stepped up to settle the contest from the spot.
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His coolly taken penalty secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory in searing 38°C heat, sending Didier Deschamps’ side into a quarter-final against Morocco while ending one of the tournament’s most spirited underdog stories. It also took Mbappe to seven goals at the tournament, drawing him level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
The scoreline, however, barely reflected the struggle France endured.
Paraguay vs France, FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16: Highlights
STAR-STUDDED STALEMATE
France arrived boasting arguably the most feared attacking quartet left in the competition. Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola had dismantled Sweden in the previous round, and the expectation was that Paraguay would be the latest side to fall victim to Les Bleus’ attacking firepower.
Instead, Gustavo Alfaro’s men produced one of the defensive performances of the tournament.
Happy to concede possession, Paraguay retreated into a compact defensive shape, crowding central areas and forcing France into harmless circulation of the ball. Mbappe was rarely afforded space to run, Dembele found himself double-marked, while Olise’s clever movement was repeatedly met by a wall of white shirts.
The statistics at half-time underlined Paraguay’s discipline. France had enjoyed more than 80 per cent possession but failed to register a single shot on target, producing an expected goals figure of just 0.15. The favourites monopolised the ball, yet it was Paraguay who dictated the rhythm of the contest.
Every French attack was slowed by a tackle, a tactical foul or another body thrown into the passing lane. It was far from pretty, but it was exactly the contest Paraguay wanted.
BATTLE OF WILLS
If the tactical battle frustrated France, the physical battle threatened to boil over.
Mbappe found himself at the centre of almost every flashpoint. Robust challenges followed him throughout the afternoon, a confrontation with Andres Cubas sparked a brief melee after the France captain reacted angrily to another heavy tackle, while Les Bleus were left incensed when referee Ilgiz Tantashev waved away penalty appeals after Juan Caceres appeared to hold Mbappe inside the penalty area.
Paraguay’s aggressive approach was no accident.
“They use every trick in the book,” Deschamps said afterwards. “It’s not the kind of football that will bring people to the stadium, but they defended it well. It is always difficult against these South American teams.”
The France manager later revealed he had even instructed two of his biggest players to stay close to Mbappe during the closing stages.
“I asked the two biggest lads to go and stand around Kylian because they were going to chop him down,” Deschamps said.
The comments summed up the afternoon. Paraguay knew they could not match France player for player, so they turned the contest into one of duels, disruptions and relentless defensive concentration.
DOUE CHANGES GAME
With France running out of ideas, Deschamps finally looked towards his bench.
Desire Doue replaced Barcola just after the hour mark and immediately injected the directness France had lacked. Rather than patiently recycling possession, the youngster drove at defenders, forcing Paraguay’s disciplined back line to make decisions it had comfortably avoided for much of the afternoon.
His impact proved decisive.
Collecting possession on the left, Doue surged into the penalty area before Diego Gomez clipped his leg. Tantashev initially waved play on, but VAR intervened and the referee overturned his original decision after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor.
The responsibility fell to Mbappe.
Ignoring the lengthy delay and the mounting pressure, the France captain calmly rolled his penalty into the bottom corner as Orlando Gill dived the wrong way. It was Mbappe’s seventh goal of the tournament, drawing him level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot while finally breaking Paraguay’s stubborn resistance.
The goal also transformed the complexion of the match.
PARAGUAY’S PRIDE
For the first time all afternoon, Paraguay were forced to abandon the defensive blueprint that had served them so well.
Having spent 70 minutes frustrating one of the tournament favourites, Gustavo Alfaro’s side finally had to chase the game, exposing spaces that France had struggled to find earlier. Gill ensured the margin remained slender with several excellent late saves, twice denying Mbappe another goal, while Paraguay managed their first shot on target only in the closing stages as fatigue from their gruelling victory over Germany and the oppressive heat began to take its toll.
Their World Cup journey ends in defeat, but not without enhancing their reputation.
After knocking out Germany on penalties and pushing one of the favourites to the brink, Paraguay demonstrated that organisation, discipline and belief could trouble even the most gifted attacking side. They may not have produced the spectacle neutrals crave, but they came within 20 minutes of forcing extra time against a team many expect to challenge for the trophy.
France, meanwhile, leave with a place in the quarter-finals rather than a statement victory.
Morocco now await in a repeat of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, and Deschamps will know sterner questions lie ahead. Against Paraguay, possession alone was never enough. His side needed patience, a spark from the bench and Mbappe’s composure from 12 yards to separate two teams whose ambitions and resources could scarcely have been more different.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
