PLAYER RATINGS | Paraguay 0-1 France: Kylian Mbappé’s penalty sees Les Bleus into the quarter- finals after tough encounter

PLAYER RATINGS | Paraguay 0-1 France: Kylian Mbappé’s penalty sees Les Bleus into the quarter- finals after tough encounter After a gruelling and physical encounter, Kylian Mbappé’s second half penalty proved to be the difference between Paraguay’s exit and France’s progression to the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup. The South American nation aimed to rough up and frustrate Les Bleus with physicality, time wasting and tactical fouls, but this plan saw tensions boil over on more than one occasion. It was a difficult night for the referee.  The match Les Bleus came into the game fresh from the high of defeating Sweden 3-0 to reach this stage of the competition. With Didier Deschamps back on the sidelines following a spell of compassionate leave, France were looking to replicate that result and build further momentum in hopes of reclaiming the crown they were a penalty shootout victory away from reclaiming in 2022.  The first ten minutes set a pattern for the match. Paraguay sat deep in a low block, firmly accepting they would be unable to play France at their own possession-dominant front-footed game. The South American nation were happy to take their chances with set pieces and counter-attacks when they presented themselves, as they did so brilliantly in the shock of the tournament thus far, as they knocked out Germany.  The most notable occurrence in the opening 20 minutes, with very few opportunities created, was Barcola’s booking for a challenge where he didn’t initiate any contact with Caceres. Koné unleashed an effort from distance which took a wicked deflection just before the hydration break, as Les Bleus entered the pause in play looking bereft of ideas.  Dembélé produced a pinpoint delivery into the area to find Mbappé, but the captain couldn’t connect following a robust challenge from Gomez, which put him off his stride. French frustrations began to show as Mbappé shoved Cubas following a confrontation, and tensions boiled over between Dembélé and Enciso afterwards. As the ball fell nicely to Kounde on the edge of the area, he hit his shot first time and didn’t connect, leaving the Paraguay stopper with a routine save.  Les Bleus went into the half-time break without creating a clear-cut opportunity in the first half At the beginning of the second half,  Rabiot unleashed his third effort from distance, and the result was the same as the ball sailed over the bar, and France’s frustration continued to grow. Almiron threatened at the opposite end with a marauding run. However, he eventually ran out of room before getting a meaningful shot away and had to settle for a corner. Minutes later, Mbappé found his way in behind for the first time, but a great recovery from Cáceres saw Les Bleus left with a corner. Smart thinking from the captain at the subsequent corner left Dembélé with ample space in the area, but he couldn’t squeeze the ball home from a tight angle. Barcola danced his way through the Paraguay defence with relative ease, only for another brilliant challenge from Cáceres to knock him off balance and prevent him from getting his shot away.  Doué came on for Barcola just before the hour mark and made an immediate impact. The PSG attacker showed brilliant feet to progress into the penalty area, where he was met by a trailing leg from Diego Gomez and won his side a penalty. Paraguay players and coaches were arguing that Doué dived, but a VAR review showed clear contact. Mbappé stepped up to the mark, and after a lengthy delay, he made no mistake to give Les Bleus the much-needed breakthrough in the match. He tucked away his penalty with a calm finish into the bottom corner.  At the final hydration break, tensions continued to boil over as French players showed their frustration after a reckless challenge on Rabiot. Paraguay began to tread the inevitable line of continued tactical fouls veering into foul play. Maignan was tested at the end of the 90 minutes as they pushed for an equaliser, but he was equal to Mauricio’s effort, which he should have arguably done better with.  Maignan almost made a mess after Digne made a positive defensive intervention, but he just managed to recover the ball before Mauricio was able to punish his lapse in concentration. Mbappé looked to finish the game off after being teed up by Doué, but Gill made two brilliant saves to deny the Frenchman. His penalty would be enough to secure his team’s place in the quarter finals.  France player ratings: Mike Maignan – 5 Jules  Koundé – 5 William Saliba – 5 Dayot Upamecano – 5 Lucas Digne – 4 Manu Koné – 5 Adrien Rabiot – 4 The Milan midfielder continued to hit pot shots from distance throughout the match, with all his efforts ending up several feet above the crossbar. His performance was a testament to France’s difficulties; he was ineffectual in the middle of the pitch, offering very little progression of play.  Ousmane Dembélé – 6 In what was a rather turgid first half, the Ballon d’Or winner was the liveliest and the most involved of France’s attacking foursome. He delivered two dangerous crosses into the area, but no one was able to connect.  Michael Olise – 5 Bradley Barcola – 4 Kylian Mbappé – 6 Compared to previous matches, it was a much quieter night for the French captain. He made a mess of his first opportunity in behind the Paraguayan defence. Nevertheless, when he was handed an opportunity to make amends from the penalty spot, he made no mistake. In the pressure moment, he was the man to deliver for France yet again.   GFFN | Liam Wraith