FIFA World Cup: France ready for 'ugly football', says Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe says France was ready for a physical battle against Paraguay after securing a 1-0 win in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16. The captain, who scored the winning penalty, insisted Les Bleus could 'play ugly football' if needed.

France captain Kylian Mbappe said his side was ready for a physical contest against Paraguay and showed they could adapt to any style of play after securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16, according to Reuters.

'We can get our hands dirty'

Speaking after France booked their place in the quarterfinals, Mbappe said Les Bleus were well aware of the kind of challenge Paraguay would present. "We knew what kind of match we were going to have," Mbappe said after the match, as quoted by Reuters.

The France skipper said his team was willing to embrace a physical contest if required and rejected the notion that Les Bleus would shy away from such battles. "If we have to get our hands dirty, we can do that. We can play ugly football. They thought we would turn up in tuxedos, but we were there," he said.

Mbappe also backed France's overall performance, insisting his side deserved the victory despite Paraguay's combative approach. "Even at that game, we were better than them. That's their football -- there is no right or wrong way to play the game. They tried to get at us that way, but we won," he added, as quoted by Reuters.

Mbappe penalty seals hard-fought win

France booked a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the Round of 16 at Lincoln Financial Field, thanks to Kylian Mbappe's second-half penalty.

Despite dominating possession, Les Bleus found it difficult to break down Paraguay's disciplined defence, with the South Americans frustrating Didier Deschamps' side throughout the opening half.

The match became only the third FIFA World Cup knockout fixture since 1966 to reach halftime without a single shot on target, while tensions flared following a challenge on Mbappe that sparked a mass confrontation.

France finally broke the deadlock in the 66th minute after Desire Doue won a penalty, which Mbappe converted calmly.

Paraguay pressed for an equaliser until the final whistle, but France held firm to secure victory and set up a quarterfinal clash with Morocco. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)