Elbows, Dives, Skirmishes, Provocations: The Midfielder Whose Behavior Epitomized Paraguay's Play Against France

Amidst the chaos of Saturday's World Cup Round of 16 clash between France and Paraguay (1-0), one player stood out: "Guaraní" midfielder Matías Galarza. Not for his footballing prowess, however, but for his underhanded tactics throughout the match.

The Paraguayan midfielder's performance resembled a horror film more than a romantic comedy, according to RMC Sport. As a stark symbol of the South Americans' exceptionally rough play, the 24-year-old distinguished himself more through his fouls, provocations, and theatrics than his talent on the pitch.

His "masterpiece" began shortly after the 30th minute. His target: Kylian Mbappé. Just as the "Les Bleus" captain passed to Ousmane Dembélé on the right, Matías Galarza intercepted his path, delivering a forceful elbow to his left shoulder. Referee Ilgiz Tantashev did not issue a card.

A nearly identical situation recurred in the second half during a Paraguay counter-attack. In a sprint with Jules Kounde, the River Plate player (currently out of contract for next season after a loan spell at Atlanta United in MLS) used the same "technique" with his elbow to strike the French right-back in the chest. Again, no foul was called.

Despite almost certainly deserving a red card for these two actions alone, Matías Galarza continued his wild evening by provoking Michael Olise. After a skirmish, he was lightly pushed by the Bayern Munich star and theatrically collapsed to the ground, clutching his face for several seconds.

This "masterful performance" concluded with one of the final actions of the match, as Kylian Mbappé attempted to shield the ball near the corner flag. Galarza's two-footed lunge and shoulder barge into the Real Madrid forward, who simply laughed it off, epitomized his overall display.

This was far from an isolated incident for Matías Galarza at the World Cup. In Paraguay's triumphant match against Germany, he had targeted Germany's star Jamal Musiala, fouling him roughly off the ball until he got under the Bayern winger's skin. Galarza then converted one of his penalties and celebrated the victory over the four-time world champions.

In the mixed zone after the match against France, the midfielder stated he was very proud of his team's performance against "Les Bleus" before breaking into tears. "I leave proud to have represented this team, my country. It's been a long time since Paraguay was at the top, and we showed it in every match. We leave with a bitter feeling; I think we could have gone a little further," he asserted after a match in which his team managed only 99 passes and accumulated just 0.13 expected goals (xG).

Speaking of statistics, Matías Galarza will return to Paraguay with an unfortunate record: he was the most frequently bypassed player in the tournament, having been bypassed 16 times.

However, the midfielder can also boast a much better achievement. He scored the earliest goal of the 2026 World Cup so far – against Turkey, finding the net for a 1-0 lead in just the 64th second. This goal proved to be the winner and ultimately eliminated Arda Güler and his teammates.