Didier Deschamps Ponders Yellow Cards; Paraguay Coach Reflects on World Cup Exit

Kylian Mbappe's 70th-minute penalty, awarded after Diego Gomez fouled substitute Desire Doue, secured France a 1-0 victory over Paraguay in Philadelphia on Sunday night. It was arguably France's least impactful offensive performance of the tournament so far, as Paraguay made life incredibly difficult for them. The South Americans' strategy revolved primarily around staunch defending and aggression. They contested every challenge, used verbal jabs to try and get under the favorites' skin, and paid special attention to Mbappe. When they did venture into the opponent's half, their attacks were minimal.

“We knew what kind of match awaited us. I think it was very valuable for us to experience this type of encounter and see how we handled it. We showed that we are not just a team that can play attacking football. Every team uses its strengths; there's no right or wrong way to play. The only right way is to win. Now we have to focus on Morocco. We are really looking forward to this match because we know we'll face a very high-quality opponent,” Mbappe stated, according to the FIFA website.

The 27-year-old Real Madrid forward scored his seventh goal of the current championship, matching Lionel Messi's tally. In terms of total World Cup goals, he is now just one behind the Argentine, having netted 19 times in 19 matches. His Round of 16 goal also marked France's 150th goal in World Cup history. France became only the fourth nation to reach this milestone, following Brazil, Germany, and Argentina.

Given the events on the pitch, it was surprising that France received three yellow cards, while Paraguay received none.

“It wasn't easy. They used every possible means. Perhaps it's not the kind of football that draws people to stadiums, playing with such aggression and exaggerating everything. We stayed focused on our game. It was tough; they had many players behind the ball and defended excellently. Of course, the high temperatures made intense football difficult, and without high intensity, it's very hard to play against such a well-organized defense. I won't criticize the referee, but we finished the match with three yellow cards, even though a lot was happening on the field. I won't criticize Paraguay. Every team can play as they see fit, but I would have done without the insults. The most important thing is that there were no incidents after the match. The main thing is that we advanced,” Deschamps was quoted by AFP.

The match was played late afternoon local time, with temperatures in Philadelphia reaching up to 38 degrees Celsius over the weekend, coinciding with celebrations for the 250th anniversary of US independence. The pitch was literally and figuratively hot. The French coach revealed that towards the end of the match, he had to instruct two of his strongest players to protect captain Mbappe from aggressive tackles. “We kept our nerves in check, and that's extremely important. While it doesn't guarantee victory, it's crucial. This experience will help us. After all, we have many players playing in their first World Cup. I wouldn't say it's been easy so far, but this was a completely different type of match.”

France thus won their fifth consecutive match at this year's World Cup. For Paraguay, who sensationally eliminated Germany in the Round of 16 after a penalty shootout, their historical best remains the quarter-finals from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. “We fought like lions on the pitch. France couldn't find an answer to our game, and ultimately, individual quality and a VAR-awarded penalty made the difference. We waited sixteen years to return to the World Cup. I leave knowing that we were competitive. I have no doubt that this championship has moved us forward, although I regret that we didn't go even further,” commented Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro.

The 2018 World Champions could become only the third nation in World Cup history to reach three consecutive finals. Previously, only Germany (in the era of West Germany) and Brazil achieved this feat. France will face Morocco in the quarter-finals on Thursday, July 9th, at 10:00 PM CEST in Foxborough. This will be a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final in Qatar, where “Les Bleus” won 2-0 before losing to Argentina in the final after a penalty shootout.

“Morocco is among the best teams. We played against them four years ago in Doha, and since then, they've also reached the Africa Cup of Nations final,” Deschamps said. He hopes his team can quickly recover from the demanding match against Paraguay and that key midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who missed the Round of 16 due to a thigh injury, will return to the lineup. “Now we have a few days to recover. Some players are tired, and we have a few minor health issues,” added the French coach.