France captain, Kylian Mbappe, has criticized Paraguay while praising Les Bleus for their determined victory over the South American team in their Round of 16 match.
Les Bleus advanced in the tournament by securing their fifth consecutive win as they aim for the championship title.
After the match in Philadelphia, Mbappe addressed reporters, voicing his dissatisfaction with Paraguay’s approach to the game.
He emphasized that his team was unafraid to engage in the more challenging aspects of the match.
“They thought we will come play in Tuxedos and do pretty plays but no, we can play dirty football too.
“If we have to get our hands dirty, we will. Even in dirty football, we were better. They tried to get to us, but it was us who got to them”, he said (via @MadridXtra on X).
“If they tell us to f*ck off, we will also tell them to f*ck off”.
Mbappe spearheaded the attack for France against La Albirroja, who had notably eliminated Germany in the previous round via penalties.
The South American team was anticipated to provide a formidable challenge to Les Bleus, and that expectation was met in Philadelphia.
Paraguay was aggressive in their tackles but managed to avoid any bookings against Mbappe and his teammates.
Les Bleus were frustrated by this but maintained their composure, ultimately scoring the only goal of the match after 70 minutes.
They secured a 1-0 victory, setting the stage for an exciting quarterfinal clash with Morocco in Boston.
