Sometimes, there is not much difference between aggression and malicious fouls. We saw a highly aggressive and fierce team, but one also adept at planting an elbow into your back during aerial duels, whispering a few words in your ear to try and provoke you, and of course, conversely, falling theatrically to the ground at every physical contact to amplify the pain.
There was a very clear target on the pitch: Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman endured the full "treatment" but did not break down, despite all the conditions being ripe for it. Although his teammates often tried to hide their actions, Matías Galarza uncourteously struck his fist against Mbappé's forearm (38th minute), and the referee made no indication. Every dead ball became an opportunity for provocation. Every challenge was aimed at causing harm, and every contact was designed to trigger a conflict.
The South Americans also took advantage of the leniency of Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev, who was very lax in certain challenges, issuing only three yellow cards throughout the match, all of which went to the Frenchmen (Bradley Barcola, Manu Koné, Michael Olise), sometimes even following rough fouls by Paraguayan players. The French, of course, knew that this situation could happen. But Didier Deschamps' players managed to keep their tempers under control almost all the time. There were only a few tense moments that ultimately escalated into minor skirmishes (35th and 74th minutes).
During the second cooling break, the head coach even lost his temper at the French players when they began responding to their opponents with sarcasm. The coach had also intervened just seconds earlier, pulling the French players away as Mbappé was once again surrounded by five Paraguayan players ready to square up with him.
Prior to that, whenever tense moments arose from the opponents, the French team quickly tracked back into position without uttering a word, using dead-ball situations to speak to the referee in an attempt to secure more foul calls. They did not have much leverage in this regard, but similarly, Ousmane Dembélé's teammates also had to, and did, learn to manage their frustrations. Désiré Doué was the perfect example during the attack that broke the deadlock.
Having just come on as a substitute, he should have been awarded a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area (62nd minute). But he did not complain or get discouraged, ultimately creating the deadlock-breaking opportunity (70th minute) by winning a penalty in the subsequent attack (65th minute). Mbappé emphasized after the match: "If we need to get our hands dirty, we will get our hands dirty. They thought we were coming to play in tuxedos. We can do everything, and we beat them." Although it was not a spectacular performance, France demonstrated other qualities, such as composure, thereby earning their place in the World Cup quarter-finals.
