‘They thought we’d show up in tuxedos’: Mbappé’s stinging response after France battle past Paraguay

2 min readJul 5, 2026 01:42 PM IST

France's Kylian Mbappe and Paraguay's Juan Jose Caceres scuffle during the World Cup Round of 16 match. (AP)

After leading France to a hard-fought 1-0 win over Paraguay in a match that saw physical, no-holds-barred play from the South American side, Les Bleus captain Kylian Mbappe did not hold back in his post-match comments. He made it clear that France is ready to adapt to any style of play, insisting the team can “play ugly” if necessary.

“We knew exactly what kind of game we were in for,” Mbappe said after the match.

“We’ve shown that we’re not just a team that knows how to play attacking football,” he added. “If we have to get our hands dirty, we’ll do it. They probably thought we’d show up in tuxedos, but we know how to play rough too. We won, and we were the better side.”

Mbappe also defended France’s overall performance, stressing that the victory was fully deserved despite Paraguay’s combative tactics. “Even in that kind of game, we were better than them. That’s their style, there’s no right or wrong way to play. They tried to unsettle us that way, but we came out on top,” he said.

The win secured France a spot in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals, thanks to Mbappe’s second-half penalty in a tense Round of 16 clash at Lincoln Financial Field. Despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession, Didier Deschamps’ side struggled to break down Paraguay’s disciplined defense throughout a frustrating first half.

The match made unwanted history, becoming only the third FIFA World Cup knockout fixture since 1966 to reach halftime without a single shot on target. Tensions boiled over at one point after a heavy challenge on Mbappe, triggering a mass confrontation between the two teams.

France finally broke the deadlock in the 66th minute, when Désiré Doué was brought down in the box to earn a penalty. Mbappe stepped up and calmly converted to give Les Bleus the lead. Paraguay pushed hard for an equaliser right up to the final whistle, but France held firm to seal the victory and set up a quarterfinal showdown with Morocco.