France defeated Paraguay 1-0 at the “Lincoln Financial Field“ stadium in Philadelphia and qualified for the quarterfinals of the World Cup. In a match marked by record summer heat, extremely rough play and controversial refereeing decisions, fortune smiled on the Europeans after penalty in the 70th minute, scored by captain Kylian Mbappe. With this goal, Mbappe now has 7 goals in this World Cup and a total of 19 in his career at World Finals. As of 4:30 a.m. Bulgarian time on July 5, 2026, the reviews from both camps and the world media reflect the enormous tension and physical clash on the pitch.
Reactions from the staff and players of France: “We are ready to get dirty hands“
The France coach Didier Deschamps expressed satisfaction with the character of his players in these harsh climatic conditions:
„We have enormous offensive quality, but against such a deep defensive block it will be difficult for any team. Especially when the intensity of the game drops, which is inevitable in this suffocating heat. I am glad that the boys did not fall for the provocations“.
The captain and top scorer Kylian Mbappe was even more direct in his statement to the media:
„We knew perfectly well what kind of match we were facing. We showed the world that France is not just a team that can play beautiful and attacking football. If we have to get our hands dirty and fight like men, we will do it. We have no problem with that“.
Defender William Saliba decided to keep his cool in front of the Fox Sports cameras:
„Today was not easy for us because we faced a very solid and organized team. Paraguay defended excellently, but we remained concentrated in defense and finally found a way to score“.
After the final whistle, tension also arose, as Mbappe refused to shake the hand of the opposing goalkeeper Orlando Hill, which provoked the guard to throw the French star with the ball.
Paraguay's Wrath: The Hero Hill and the Tactics of the “Guaranis“
Despite the loss, the South American goalkeeper Orlando Hill was named Man of the Match after making a string of phenomenal saves, including two in a row against Mbappe in injury time.
The South Americans, who sensationally eliminated Germany in the previous round, applied the same tactic of slowing down the game and breaking the tempo. According to Opta statistics, Paraguay finished the match with just 54% accurate passes – the lowest success rate in a World Cup knockout match in 60 years. They held the scoreless tie until the 69th minute, when substitute Desiree Due was brought down in the penalty area by Diego Gomez. Despite the Paraguayans' vociferous protests, referee Ilgiz Tantashev upheld the penalty after a VAR review.
Media around the world: „France took off their tuxedo for dirty football“
World sports publications unanimously define the match as extremely ugly, but vital for France.
- The Guardian: The British publication came out with the headline “Mbappe and France took off their tuxedos to play dirty football and beat Paraguay“. The media outlet notes that Paraguay consciously took on the role of “the villain of the pantomime“, delaying every possible second (even kicking the ball into the stands), but in the end “football karma“ has triumphed.
- ESPN: Media analysts draw a historical parallel with the 1998 World Cup. Then France, with Didier Deschamps as captain on the field, also met Paraguay in the 1/8 finals in similar heat, struggled to the max against the “concrete” of José Luis Chilaver and only won with a golden goal by Laurent Blanc. ESPN emphasizes that the then difficult success unblocked the squad on the way to the world title – something Deschamps is hoping for now.
- Fans' comments on Reddit: Social networks are seething with serious criticism of the head referee from Uzbekistan, Ilgiz Tantashev. Neutral supporters accuse him of missing the match and allowing the South Americans to turn the football match into an “MMA match”, saving them numerous yellow cards for obvious off-field fouls.
What's next?
France moves on and officially forms the first quarter-final pair of the tournament. On July 9, 2026 at Boston Stadium, the “Roosters“ will face the team of Morocco, who earlier in the day decisively eliminated hosts Canada 3-0. This will be a direct repeat of the semi-final clash from Qatar 2022