Kylian Mbappé was one of the figures in France’s 1-0 victory over Paraguay and, after the match, he responded firmly to questions about La Albirroja’s defensive approach. The French captain assured that his team was prepared for any type of match.
At the press conference, the Real Madrid forward left one of the most commented phrases of the day. “They thought we were going to come and play in tuxedos,” he said, referring to the physical style with which the game was played in Philadelphia.
Mbappé explained that France has the ability to adapt to any scenario and that it has no problem responding to a maximum intensity match. “If we have to go down into the mud and put our hands in the shit, we put them in. We also know how to play dirty football,” express.
The attacker concluded that each team uses its own weapons to compete and that the only truly important thing is to achieve victory. “Everyone plays with their weapons, there are no good or bad ones. There is only one: winning,” he sentenced.
The duel against Paraguay represented the most demanding test for France so far in the 2026 World Cup. La Albirroja imposed a solid defensive approach that neutralized the French for much of the match and only gave in after a penalty called by the VAR.
The Paraguayan team, which had just eliminated Germany in the previous round, once again demonstrated that its tactical order and physical intensity can complicate even the main candidates for the title. The game was also played under wind chills close to 40 degrees in Philadelphia.
The victory allowed France to seal its qualification to the quarterfinals, where it will face Morocco in one of the most attractive matches of the next round of the 2026 World Cup.
Mbappé will arrive at that commitment in a great moment of form. With four goals in the tournament, the French captain remains in the fight for the scoring leadership along with Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Vinícius Júnior.