Paraguay 0-1 France: World Cup last 16 - live

Key events

Last word to Mbappé

“They thought we were going to come and play in tuxedos ... But we know how to play dirty football too.”

To be completely honest, France could’ve shown more quality in this one. As others have pointed out, the USA hung a crooked number on the scoreboard against Paraguay, but the star-studded French attack couldn’t? Maybe Balogun should be paid twice what Mbappé is?

Three hours ago, I would’ve said France will easily skip past Morocco. Now? I’m not so sure. Morocco can be as frustrating as Paraguay, and they’re a lot better going forward.

So … phew. That one’s done. Thanks for following along and for sending more emails than I could even skim. Hope I got the good ones in there, and check back in the requisite number of hours for the next games.

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One postscript to allow a response on a pointed comment earlier in the emails on Arsenal and Stoke:

David Cartwright: “A tackle happened, and as a result of two players going full blooded into tackle, one suffered a terrible injury. Shawcross was clearly upset and indeed crying his eyes out as he left the pitch after the sending off. Ramsey was comforted by a Stoke player rather than his own teammates.”

He goes on with some more comments about Wenger that I think require more context than I can give here, but I did want to let another side be aired.

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Paul MacInnes was on the scene and filed this report:

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Dan Weingrod: “How did the US beat this Paraguay team so comprehensively while the world champs could only manage one goal? Did Paraguay just have a really really bad day, or are the US really really better than we think?”

PROBABLY the former, but maybe a bit of both?

Craig Tupper: “If Michael Oliver had refereed this match, the game would be abandoned by the half.”

Oliver refereed Canada-Morocco and showed a lot of cards, a rarity in this Cup.

Tim Gill: “One of the worst games of football it’s ever been my misfortune to witness. And I’m at Spurs every fortnight.”

Ouch.

Christopher Burke: “This referee seems to have no appetite for telling Paraguay all the things you can’t do: you can’t stand five yards from the short corner taker, you can’t crowd the penalty spot, you can’t fly in with crunching late tackles, you can’t kick out at your opponent after you’ve been fouled, etc., etc. … I thought the referee’s responsibility was to put a stop to such misbehavior but the heat must have dulled his initiative the way it dulled France for most of this match.”

If anyone thinks this is an unfair representation of my inbox – it is not. I’m skipping dozens of emails saying exactly the same thing. Sometimes less eloquently.

Ludovic Lemaignen: “Is it fair to say the referee won’t be officiating at the final?”

I’d like to say yes?

Zafar Sobhan: “Refs and linesmen should be given a taser with 10 yard range to help maintain distance on dead balls.”

Yay, more equipment for me to buy!

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MAIL

Liisa Sletzinger: “Paraguay been playing dirty dirty but France didn’t rise to the occasion as one would have expected, engaging in their own bs as well.”

Samir Chopra: “Paraguay were horrible to watch. I wanted this game to end quickly before a French player was stretchered off.”

Casiano Martinez: “The referee was ensuring this game didn’t dissolve into a brawl, I think he did a solid job in that respect.”

Some truth to that. He was interposing himself to keep warring parties apart. But he could accomplish the same task even better by showing some cards to Paraguay. They finished with ZERO yellows. Wow.

Craig Tupper: “It’s perfection that this game is being played at the Linc. Paraguay are prepping for the tailgate parties!”

As a resident of the Washington suburbs, I’m tempted to joke about Eagles fans and the jail that was supposedly in the stadium.

Kári Tulinius: “10 minutes of added time?! Can a ref decide to end the match early? A mercy rule for viewers.”

Can you imagine if Paraguay had scored?

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From the referee forum I frequent, where they’ve hopefully forgiven me for my take on Canada-Morocco: “Can’t remember a worse performance for a ref in a World Cup.”

To be sure, Paraguay weren’t doing anything with the intent to injury. It was all cheap stuff. Falling to the ground when nothing plausible had happened. Messing with the grass on a penalty kick. Mass confrontations on the occasions in which they didn’t get their way. They didn’t win any new fans today.

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Paraguay have no business confronting the referee here – they got away with everything but a billion dollars in crypto – but they’re doing it anyway.

Next: France will get another team that didn’t take the most positive approach in its game, Morocco.

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Updated at 19.13 EDT

Final: France 1-0 Paraguay

Paraguay react as well as you’d think.

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Updated at 19.10 EDT

90 min +10 Paraguay free kick deep in their own end, but they won’t be able to take it.

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90 min +9 Cáceres bundles over Mbappé – not really with intent, just not able to keep up.

We’ve hit the “go to the corner” phase of the game.

Galarzas and Mbappé are chatting, and Galarza looks like he’s looking for another opportunity to fake a foul.

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90 min +8 Corner to Paraguay! It’s another misplay at the back from France, and it’s happened a few times.

Galarza is down again, and who knows what he’s claiming.

Mauricio takes the kick, and Maignan leaps to grab it.

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90 min +7 DOUBLE SAVE BY GILL ON MBAPPE and that was fantastic. The first was from 20 yards but thumped with menace. Saving the rebound was even better.

Galarza gets in Olise’s face, then falls, and it’s yellow on Olise. This is a humiliating performance form the referee.

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Updated at 19.06 EDT

90 min +6 Mauricio almost takes advantage of a lapse in the French defense, and it’s not the first time.

This game’s still just 1-0, you know.

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90 min +5 Koundé is down after being punched in the face by Galarza. The entire world saw it. The VAR crew did not, apparently. What a horrible officiating performance all the way around.

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Updated at 19.04 EDT

90 min +4 The AR appears to be scolding a ballboy. The corner is delayed because Olise claims the Paraguayans aren’t 10 yards away.

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90 min +3 This game has the earmarks of a game that won’t finish with 22 players on the field.

Corner kick to France.

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90 min +2 Great defense from Upamecano to shield the ball, and he’s eventually bulldozed out of the way. The referee takes issue with that.

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Updated at 19.02 EDT

90 min +1 Good poise from France’s defense, and they get numbers forward quickly. Paraguay recover, but France still have the ball. Then it’s a silly challenge from Galarza on Olise, and for some reason, the Paraguayan stands over Olise to yell something at him. That’s … a choice, as is the decision not to show yellow.

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89 min The font on the “PHILADELPHIA” sign on the sideline dashers looks like the font on Philadelphia Cream Cheese.

Turnover by France, SHOT! Maignan has to sprawl for his first save of the game.

We’ll play 10 more minutes.

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88 min Summing up what I can see of the email – viewers do not like what Paraguay attempted in this game.

France win the ball, race forward, Mbappé strikes, SAVE Gill, and it’s knocked well clear – as much from the momentum of the shot as it was from Gill’s punch.

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87 min My inbox count is flying like the digits on the DeLorean in Back to the Future. I’ll get to some, I promise.

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86 min Paraguay win back possession and earn a throw-in. Knocked out, another throw-in to Paraguay. Very long throw, pinged across the field, and Alonso has a bit of space to shoot from long range, but he’s not able to get it on frame.

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85 min Patient buildup for France now, and why not? So much less of a need to rush with a goal in hand.

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84 min Olise beats one defender but should’ve passed before trying again. France regain possession, draw a foul, and we’ll see Cherki replace Dembélé.

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83 min Mauricio falls a bit too theatrically – had it not looked so ridiculous, he might have gotten that call. France possess.

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82 min The free kick from just a few inches behind midfield is lofted to the top of the box and headed in, but Maignan easily collects.

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81 min Yellow to Koné for a very late challenge on Cáceres. You could argue that the ref should’ve played advantage, but Paraguay aren’t complaining.

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79 min Paraguay possess the ball for what might be the longest time in this game. They get a long throw-in – originally awarded to France, but communication between the officials changed the call.

Ávalos elbows Upamecano in the sternum. The Bayern Munich man falls but doesn’t immediately get the call. Not sure what was actually called in the end.

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77 min Mbappé slams into Cáceres from behind. Cáceres turns around and kicks Mbappé. When David Beckham did that, he was sent off and became a national villain for a few years.

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76 min Paraguay are now pressing. They’re going to play completely differently for the rest of this game. Good. They’re capable of it and should go out swinging. (Or advance.)

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Daniel Stauss: “How is it that Kylian Mbappe looks both 20 and 50 at the same time?”

Other email: The ref isn’t good.

Niall Mullen: “So many free kicks in this game. By Paraguay players on the French.”

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Oh right – hydration break!

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Updated at 18.53 EDT

71 min Subs for Paraguay: Mauricio and Ávalos are in; Almirón and Gómez are out. Not sure taking out Almirón is a great idea, though he was clearly out of gas after that sprint upfield.

They’ve used all three substitution windows now.

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Updated at 18.38 EDT

Goal! France 1-0 Paraguay (Mbappé 70 pen)

Paraguay congregate around the ref, who shouldn’t be putting up with this but is.

Right behind the ref’s back, Velázquez digs his cleat into the grass at the penalty spot. This is ridiculous. Karma dictates that this ball will go in.

And now more ridiculous, as Paraguay think Mbappé didn’t place the ball correctly.

The fates have spoken. Mbappé steps, stops (that used to be illegal, right?), Gill goes the wrong way, Mbappé easily slides the ball to his right, and justice is done.

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Updated at 18.39 EDT

Penalty to France

Paraguay have no legitimate complaint. They think it’s a dive? Wrong.

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Updated at 18.33 EDT

ON-FIELD REVIEW and it would take some tortured logic to avoid giving a penalty here.

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-65 min Good run from Doué, who takes a tumble in the box.

We have a foot race the other way, and Saliba outruns Almiron, who falls from exhaustion.

VAR check. This has to be a PK.

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Updated at 18.31 EDT

64 min Doué falls just outside the box, but the referee is not impressed. Replay shows the ref absolutely missed it, and the Referee Cam shows it was all but impossible to miss that.

Mbappé shoots from distance, apparently at a different goal somewhere in the third row.

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63 min “They’re playing with a confidence and belief right now,” John Strong says of Paraguay as they take a throw-in in the their own half, bang it upfield and immediately turn it over.

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60 min Enciso is down and gesturing that he’d like to be replaced. Caballero comes in.

France were already lining up a sub – Doué replaces Barcola.

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Paraguay have completed 55% of their passes. Just 60 complete to France’s 346.

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59 min Gómez flat-out strips it from Mbappé. France quickly regain it and go up the field.

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58 min SUB for Paraguay – it’s Canale for … well, Alderete is down. Is it him? Yes. He’s trudging off very slowly, which should mean that the sub has to wait a minute but that has been erratically enforced. Basically, if you can claim an injury, you get away with it. Sometimes.

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57 min Corner kick is an inswinger that Gill adeptly grabs.

Paraguay string together 5-6 passes, but that’s it.

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56 min France claim it back and honestly may have been holding Almirón. They combine on the left and earn their 10th corner kick. That’s a lot.

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