France won a ticket to the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup after a hard-fought victory over Paraguay. However, the focus after the match was the controversial playing style of the South American representative.
On the stands of Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, many German fans have prepared tickets with the hope of witnessing the clash between the "Tank" and France in the next round. However, Paraguay changed all predictions after eliminating Germany in the previous round, before continuing to cause countless difficulties for Didier Deschamps' team.
Throughout the match, Paraguay chose a collision style of play, constantly committing tactical fouls, wasting time and provoking French players. However, official statistics only recorded 13 fouls and Gustavo Alfaro's team did not receive any yellow cards - which surprised many people.
This is the first time in 28 years that Paraguay has finished a match at the World Cup without receiving a card, although many situations were considered to have exceeded the limit.
Alfaro praised his players for "fighting like lions", but reality shows that the South American team has used too many tricks to stop France's strength.
Despite conceding a goal from a penalty spot, Paraguay still made the strongest attack in the tournament face many difficulties. Previously, all of France's opponents at the 2026 World Cup had conceded at least 3 goals.
Coach Didier Deschamps admits he is most satisfied with his players maintaining their composure.
I am very proud that the players did not react to provocations. If we lose control, things could get worse," the French strategist shared.
Kylian Mbappe was a target of special attention throughout the match. This striker was fouled many times and continuously provoked by Paraguay players. At the end of the match, goalkeeper Orlando Gill even threw the ball into Mbappe's back after the striker refused to shake hands.
Deschamps revealed that he had asked 2 players with the best physique to always be close to Mbappe in the final minutes to avoid the risk of the French captain being played dirty.
Mbappe himself also said that the French team has prepared mentally for a fierce match: "We know how to play fiercely if necessary. They think we will enter the field with politeness, but we are ready for every battle.
Rayan Cherki also affirmed that the French team not only knows how to play beautiful football but also has enough bravery to fight in tense matches.
After the match, Deschamps also expressed dissatisfaction with Paraguay's behavior from the coaching bench.
I don't want to criticize the opponent because each team has their own playing style, but there have been offensive words from the technical area that I didn't expect. We feel we are suffering a lot of injustice," he shared.
What makes public opinion confused is that France received up to three yellow cards, while Paraguay was almost not penalized despite a series of fouls and tricks. Previously, Matias Galarza also escaped a red card in the match against Germany before contributing to helping Paraguay overcome the opponent in the penalty shootout.
It is undeniable that Paraguay created a memorable World Cup thanks to their fighting spirit and resilient defense. They only scored 3 goals after 5 matches but still advanced thanks to their disciplined playing style.
However, the performance against France also made the South American team lose a lot of sympathy. Instead of being praised for their solid defense and fighting spirit, Paraguay became the focus of controversy because of tricks considered to go against the spirit of fair-play.
