France arrived in Philadelphia with the swagger of World Cup heavyweights and left looking like they had spent the afternoon wrestling a cactus, grinding out a narrow victory over Paraguay in sweltering conditions.
Their win was less a showcase of French elegance than a survival exercise, with Kylian Mbappe’s penalty finally settling an ill-tempered contest that Paraguay had dragged into their preferred territory of physical confrontation and tactical disruption.
Paraguay offered something France rarely face: tight man-marking, bodies around the wingers and just enough fouls, fussing and provocation to make the favourites twitch.
It almost worked.
Rarely do Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise look so short of rhythm. France are used to facing zonal blocks, rehearsed pressing traps and neat defensive lines.
Paraguay instead turned the match into a series of physical personal duels, doubling up wide and denying the French attackers the time and angles they usually bend to their will.
The first half told the story, with France failing to create a clear-cut chance before the break.
Paraguay keeper Orlando Gill was required only to deal with a harmless low effort from Adrien Rabiot, while the excellent Matias Galarza and Andres Cubas closed central spaces and gave France little comfort.
Miguel Almiron and Julio Enciso also gave Paraguay just enough menace to make France centre backs William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano work, even if that threat often came from scraps rather than structure.
Yet Paraguay’s plan carried a fatal flaw that became more glaring as the heat intensified. Their defensive approach came with almost no counter-attacking mechanism beyond long balls into space.
That left Enciso chasing hopeful passes while teammates sank deeper. It was containment without release, resistance without a pressure valve.
Against a side of France’s quality, that is a dangerous way to live. Eventually, their depth told when substitute Desire Doue forced a penalty and Mbappe converted, sending Gill the wrong way.
It was a brave Paraguay performance. Their resolve, similar to that shown in knocking out Germany on penalties, again made life miserable for a more decorated opponent.
Yet defending almost constantly in extreme heat, especially after an earlier extra-time ordeal, demanded perfection and one mistake was enough to cause their downfall.
For France, this served as a useful alarm bell. They found a way through, but not with authority. Paraguay tested their patience, their temperament and their ability to adapt to a style rarely seen in Europe.
Next come Morocco, comfortable winners over Canada, on Thursday, giving France little time to lick their Philadelphia battle wounds before another examination of their title credentials.
(Reuters)
