Didier Deschamps, the head coach of the French national team, praised the fighting spirit shown by his players during their hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the Round of 32, securing their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup.
After the match, Deschamps said: "The match was not easy at all. If we had scored the two chances we had in the final minutes, things would have been more comfortable, but Paraguay played with all possible methods, and it was a very physical and tough match."
He added: "The opponent defended very intensely, and the high temperatures affected the pace of the game. Nevertheless, our players maintained their focus and did not lose their grip on the match."
The French coach spoke about the strong tackles his players faced, saying: "Paraguay knows how to play this type of match. On the other hand, we received several yellow cards, while some fouls they committed were not called. In the 2018 World Cup, I had to substitute Kylian Mbappé against Uruguay to protect him, and today I asked the strongest players on the bench to immediately go and protect him in the final minutes, because the match does not end until the referee blows the whistle."
He concluded his statements by saying: "We have passed a very important stage. Facing South American teams is always complicated, but I am happy with what the team delivered. I have a cohesive group with a wonderful spirit, and despite the difficulties, we did what we had to do, and now we will take advantage of the coming days to recover and prepare for the quarter-finals."
