Kylian Mbappé’s 70th-minute penalty edged France past a combative Paraguay 1-0 in Philadelphia on Saturday, securing a place in the World Cup quarter-finals and prompting a raw, defiant message from the French captain: his side will not be bullied. On an afternoon when the European contenders were dragged into a scrappy, ill-tempered contest, Mbappé’s spot-kick — his seventh goal of the tournament — proved sufficient, but the fallout centred as much on the match’s abrasive undercurrent as on the scoreline.

From kick-off, Paraguay deployed a deep, disruptive gameplan, conceding possession and attempting to unnerve the favourites with relentless physicality. The first half ended with France failing to register a shot on target, a statistic that underscored the South Americans’ success in clogging passing lanes and drawing opponents into niggling altercations. Mbappé himself was a frequent target, engaging in verbal jousts in fluent Spanish with defender Junior Alonso — an exchange captured by cameras but unpunished by the Video Assistant Referee — and later brushing past goalkeeper Orlando Gill’s offered handshake at the final whistle. Manager Didier Deschamps revealed he had instructed his ‘two strongest players to stand around Kylian’ late on, fearing a cynical foul might fell his talisman.

Yet it was Mbappé’s post-match remarks that defined the narrative. ‘They thought we were going to come playing in tuxedos, making beautiful moves and one-twos. We know how to play dirty football, too,’ he told broadcasters, his words swiftly relayed across global media. ‘If we have to get our hands dirty, we’ll do it. Sorry for the expression, but we have no problem with that.’ The Real Madrid forward’s candour — embellished in some Spanish-language outlets as a ‘burla’ or mockery of Paraguay’s approach — was received in European and Asian coverage as a statement of newfound steel for a team often labelled as stylish but fragile. Alternately, it was portrayed in South American reports as evidence of a sour winner dismissing a legitimate tactical ploy.

The victory, however scrappy, extends France’s run of reaching at least the quarter-finals in four consecutive World Cups. Mbappé’s penalty took his all-time World Cup goal tally to 19, drawing level with Lionel Messi in the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot. Paraguay’s exit, viewed from Asunción, was a case of a limited side pushing a superpower to the brink before a lone mistake — a foul by Diego Gómez on Désiré Doué — tilted the tie. For France, the focus now shifts to a quarter-final meeting with Morocco in Boston on Thursday, a rematch of the 2022 semi-final that pits Mbappé against close friend Achraf Hakimi. ‘I think he’s already texted me,’ Mbappé said, ‘but we’ll give everything to continue our journey.’