Kylian Mbappe Taunts Paraguay's Playing Style: We Also Know How To Play Dirty

Kylian Mbappé was the match winner for France as they eliminated Paraguay with a narrow 1-0 scoreline in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16. Following the match, the Les Bleus star made notable comments regarding the aggressive physical style of play deployed by their opponents.

Playing at Philadelphia Stadium in the United States on Sunday, France were forced to dig deep against Paraguay's physically demanding approach. Despite facing sustained pressure throughout the fixture, Les Bleus ultimately secured their quarter-final ticket courtesy of Mbappé's solitary goal.

According to Mbappé, France were fully aware of Paraguay's gameplan which prioritised physical duels and uncompromising hard tackling. He went on to state that his side were capable of matching this approach when required.

"We also know how to play physical and get stuck in. We proved that today. We came away with the win, and even in this kind of game we still came out on top against them. That's just their brand of football, that's how they operate," Mbappé stated, as quoted by French sports outlet L'Equipe on Sunday 5 July 2026.

Over the course of the match, Paraguay committed 13 recorded fouls. The high intensity of the fixture left young France midfielder Rayan Cherki visibly surprised that none of these offences resulted in a yellow card from the match referee.

Despite this, Mbappé clarified that he held no issue with Paraguay's style of play. In his view, there is no right or wrong way to play football when the objective is to secure victory.

That said, the Real Madrid forward emphasised that France typically operate with a different playing identity. However, he noted that Les Bleus are fully capable of adapting and matching physicality whenever the game demands it.

"They tried to beat us playing that way, but we ended up beating them using that exact same approach," added the 27-year-old Real Madrid striker.

Mbappé Equals Lionel Messi's Record

This match-winning goal against Paraguay marked Mbappé's seventh goal of the 2026 World Cup, drawing him level with Lionel Messi at the top of the tournament's temporary goalscoring charts.

Beyond this, Mbappé also extended his historic milestones. This strike was his 11th career World Cup knockout stage goal, further cementing his record as the highest goalscorer in the history of the tournament's elimination rounds.

The 27-year-old also became the first men's footballer in history to score in three consecutive World Cup Round of 16 fixtures.

Across all World Cup appearances since his tournament debut in 2018, Mbappé now holds a total of 19 finals goals. He sits just one strike behind Lionel Messi, who currently holds the all-time men's World Cup goals record with 20 tournament goals.

Tough Test Awaits France

Having progressed past Paraguay, France will next face Morocco in the quarter-final round.

Morocco booked their place in the last eight after recording a convincing 3-0 victory over co-hosts Canada.

The highly anticipated France vs Morocco quarter-final is scheduled to take place at Boston Stadium, United States, at 03:00 WIB on Friday 10 July 2026.

Mbappé has already expressed respect for their upcoming opponents, confirming that France will prepare and perform at their absolute maximum to keep their World Cup final hopes alive.

"We know they are an extremely strong side and we are looking forward to the challenge. We will give everything we have to keep our campaign going," stated Mbappé, who has already guided France to the World Cup final in the previous two editions of the tournament.