FEATURE | Three things we learned as France squeeze past Paraguay and into the quarter-finals

FEATURE | Three things we learned as France squeeze past Paraguay and into the quarter-finals All of the pre-match predictions of stifling heat, Paraguayan gamesmanship and attack vs defence came true but, at the end of a hard-fought and bad-tempered match, Kylian Mbappé’s penalty gave les Bleus a 1-0 win which sees them through to a quarter-final against Morocco, in a repeat of the last World Cup’s semi-final. Football was the winner There are different ways to win a World Cup knock-out match, but it was clear from the first whistle that one team was looking to hold on for penalties and only one team had come to play football. Paraguay set up in a 5-4-1 which looked more like a back 6 at times. They dived to win cheap free kicks, then took over a minute to take them. Every time the ball went out of play, they booted it into the stands. They hacked players down – in play but even more so off the ball. They feigned injury. They claimed (and often won) non-existent free-kicks. You’re allowed to win matches with a stout defence and you’re allowed to play tough, but Paraguay went far beyond what is reasonable. That said, they were allowed to get away with it thanks to one of the most inept refereeing performances in living memory. Uzbeki referee Ilgiz Tantashev had no control at any stage over the match (he even missed a clear handball from Kylian Mbappé). Adrien Rabiot and Michael Olise were fortunate to be able to walk off the pitch after being on the receiving end of really nasty hacks. Tantashev missed the clear foul in the area that led to the penalty (VAR having to come to France’s rescue) and the most astounding stat of the evening was that Paraguay received no yellow cards, yet France received three (Manu Koné’s was deserved but Bradley Barcola’s and Michael Olise’s were harsh in the extreme).  France can take a lot of satisfaction from winning a match against a team that made little attempt to do anything but spoil – and were allowed to do so with impunity. While all around are losing their heads… Whether it was because of the heat or Paraguay’s intimidation or just an off-day, France’s celebrated front four did not click today. Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé found it hard to keep hold of the ball or complete a pass and Olise often dropped too deep to have his usual influence. Mbappé, too, was slightly below par and passed up some good scoring opportunities (two of them coming from outstanding Mike Maignan and Olise passes). However, when his moment came – and after more Paraguayan gamesmanship, looking to delay the spot-kick as long as possible and scuffing the penalty spot – he calmly sent the keeper the wrong way and rolled the ball into the net. He was perhaps the victim of more of Paraguay’s skullduggery than anyone else, but he kept his calm, laughed away all attempts for him to lose his cool and very much had the last laugh. France’s attacking depth makes the difference With France’s front four looking off their best, Didier Deschamps introduced Desiré Doué on the hour mark. He immediately looked to take Paraguay’s defence on, completed a few jinking runs from the left flank. He was a victim of yet another nasty hack (neither a free-kick nor a yellow card given) and then drew the foul, after another great run, which won the winning penalty.  One can’t expect a team to win a World Cup by blowing opposition apart in every match. But France got through a real test here thanks to their patience, their calm in the face of so much antagonism and the quality of their bench. Now that they are through, Didier Deschamps may look back on this victory and take more satisfaction from it than from a comfortable 3-0 win. GFFN | Jeremy Smith