Kylian Mbappe and Team France got their first real scare of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday, but as usual, the French prevailed thanks to their superstar.
Mbappe scored the game’s only goal on a penalty kick in the 70th minute, leading France to a 1-0 win over Paraguay. Not only did the Paraguayans keep it close from start to finish, but they also frustrated their heavily favored opponents at times in what became a rather chippy affair.
Several of those run-ins saw Mbappe right in the middle of things, and he had a lot to say about it in his post-match interview.
“We knew what kind of match we were going to have. We showed that we’re not a team that knows how to play attacking football. We showed that if we had to get our hands dirty, we would. Sorry for the expression. They thought we were going to play in tuxedos, make beautiful plays, one-twos, but we also know how to play dirty football. We did it, we won, and even in that respect, we were better than them. They played their football, everyone plays with their own weapons . There’s no right or wrong way, you just have to win. They tried to get us that way, now we move on to the next stage. We have to recover and focus on Morocco,”
The 27-year-old Mbappe is now tied atop the race for the Golden Boot with Lionel Messi at seven goals in the tournament.
It had been smooth sailing for Mbappe and France through the group stage, so finding a way to overcome some adversity could serve the powerhouse nation well moving forward.
They will now take on Achraf Hakimi and Morocco in the quarterfinals on Thursday, July 9, in Boston.
The French beat Morocco 2-0 in the 2022 World Cup semifinals before ultimately falling to Messi and Argentina in the final.
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. EST at Boston Stadium.
Next: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Will Not Attend MLB All-Star Game
