FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 : PARAGUAY VS FRANCE 04/07/2026 (PHOTO – KYLIAN MBAPPE AND FRANCE CELEBRATE)

THIS WAS A MATCH-AND-A-HALF LAST NIGHT, IN THE SWELTERING 39 DEGREE HEAT OF THE PHILADELPHIA STADIUM!

PARAGUAY HAVE CERTAINLY EARNED THEIR PLACE WITH THEIR BRILLIANT PERFORMANCES UP UNTIL NOW IN THE WORLD CUP, AND SEEMED PREPARED TO PUT IN AN EXTREMELY TENACIOUS PERFORMANCE. AND LAST NIGHT, WITH THEIR EXHUBERANCE TO DEFEAT MBAPPE AND CO. THINGS DID BECOME, LET’S SAY, A LITTLE TESTY! MBAPPPE WAS SURROUNDED BY PARAGUAYAN PLAYERS MOST OF THE TIME, HE COULD HARDLY MOVE. (WHICH HE MOSTLY ALWAYS SEEMS TO SEE THE FUNNY SIDE OF!) AND THE PARAGUAYAN PLAYER’S PLAYED WITH SUCH FEISTINESS, THAT IT WAS HARD FOR FRANCE TO BREAK THROUGH. THAT WAS UNTIL DESIRE DOUE WAS SUBBED OFF THE BENCH, AND FOULED BY DIEGO GOMEZ IN THE PENALTY AREA, AFTER WHICH, A PENALTY WAS GIVEN AFTER THE FOUL WAS VIEWED BY VAR. CUE LOT’S OF DIVERSIONARY TACTICS BY PARAGUAY AND A BIG ‘PEACOCK’ STYLE PUFFING OF THE CHEST FROM MBAPPE. BUT THE PENALTY WAS A MASTERCLASS! HE “STUTTERED” UP TO THE GOAL, SENDING THE GOALKEEPER, ORLANDO GILL THE WRONG WAY, NESTLING THE BALL INTO THE CORNER. YOU COULD LITERALLY SEE THE OPTIMISM DRAIN FROM THE PARAGUAYAN PLAYER’S FACES AFTERWARDS. FROM THEN ON, THINGS GOT VERY PHYSICAL, WITH FOULS-A-PLENTY, WHICH LEFT MANY WONDERING IF REF ILGIZ TANTASHEV HAD ACCIDENTALLY PUT HIS WIFE’S CONTACT LENSES IN FOR THIS MATCH, AS HE DIDN’T SEEM TO NOTICE ANY OF IT!

BUT, HEY-HO, THESE BOYS SEEM USED TO A LITTLE ARGEY-BARGEY (AND MBAPPE ESPECIALLY USED TO IT, THANKFULLY) AND LUCKILY, THERE WAS NO HARM DONE! SO WITH THE MATCH BEING WON 1 – 0 BY FRANCE, THEY WILL NOW CRUISE INTO THE QUARTER-FINALS FOR A MEETING WITH MOROCCO ON THURSDAY IN BOSTON! KYLIAN MBAPPE AND LIONEL MESSI HAVE NOW EQUALLED EACH OTHER’S TALLY OF SEVEN WORLD CUP GOALS SO FAR!

WORLD CUP 2026 – PARAGUAY VS FRANCE – 04/07/2026