After the ‘Star Spangled Banner’, the star-studded France team. The World Cup bade farewell to Philadelphia amid celebrations to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in this city.
For Les Bleus, the declarations of brilliance had come earlier. This, though, was an illustration they can win ugly, and that their brightest star keeps on shining.
America’s birthday had the feel of just another day for Kylian Mbappe, whose World Cup goals are so frequent, but France’s potential semi-final falls on Bastille Day. Do not bet against Mbappe scoring then, either. Now only Morocco stand in their way of another trip to the last four after Paraguay’s resistance was eventually ended.
The irony may be that a team who had done the apparently impossible by beating Germany on penalties, and who seemed to be playing for spot-kicks again, were beaten by a penalty. Sidefooted in by Mbappe, it brought a punishment to Paraguay for their niggly tactics.
It was nevertheless a sign of their obduracy that a previously free-flowing French side could find no way through their crowded defence in open play. They encountered a Paraguayan roadblock on their route to glory.
But Didier Deschamps helped cross it. With each game comes a further indication that he is bowing out at the peak of his powers. It helps that few have as enviable alternatives but the France manager is an expert at perming between them.
Deschamps is no stranger to influential changes in World Cup matches – just look at the 2022 final – and, when stalemate beckoned, Desire Doue replaced Bradley Barcola. Four minutes later, he drew the decisive challenge.
A mazy solo run was ended when Doue was hacked down by Diego Gomez. In a quirk, Doue, who had stayed down, was forced to stay off the pitch for a minute in which the penalty he won was scored.
He and Barcola, Paris Saint-Germain teammates, seem to have a job-share for the role on France’s left flank, a modern-day version of the “staffeta”, when Italian No 10s Gianni Rivera and Sandro Mazzola alternated in the 1970 World Cup. Doue lacks Barcola’s scorching speed, but perhaps this was not a game for the roadrunner. His replacement’s dribbling skills came to the fore.
So Mbappe sent Orlando Gill the wrong way from the penalty spot. It was his 19th World Cup goal; still more remarkably, an 11th in the knockout stages, which is as many as Cristiano Ronaldo has in total. Mbappe is now only one behind Lionel Messi in the all-time standings again, with their private contest set to continue at least as far as the quarter-finals. It could contain another shootout in the final.
Gill had been the scourge of the Germans in the last 32. This could have been France against Germany and the chances are that Les Bleus would have preferred it was. It might have made for a more open game.
Instead, there was a first half without a shot on target; Manu Kone had the belated first. In the 96th minute, as the game opened up, Gill made a brilliant double save from Mbappe.
It was a rare opening. After their shambolic start against the United States, Paraguay may have been the best organised side in the tournament. The French found them the most irritating.
France were stifled by the combination of suffocating heat – as thermometers topped 100 degrees, Barcola managed to spend the first half in the shade – and defiant Paraguayan defending; Gustavo Alfaro ensured France’s feared front four faced a five-man rearguard.
Paraguay left the enterprising Julio Enciso up front a lone striker. The Brighton player made a good go of it, embarking on a series of solo runs, but his was a thankless task. He ran himself into the ground and was removed after an hour. But his side had a lone shot on target. Their gameplan was rendered redundant when they conceded.
And their attempts to beat France were concentrated on the unedifying as tempers frayed amid high temperatures. Mbappe pushed Andres Cubas in the chest in one contretemps. The agent provocateur Matias Galarza chopped down the France captain off the ball and later floored Jules Kounde with an elbow.
Strangely, the Paraguayans seemed immune to bookings; ludicrously it was the first time since 1998 they completed a World Cup game without a yellow card. The referee Ilgiz Tantashev repeatedly ignored incidents of skulduggery, from timewasting to off-the-ball attacks, as the caution count ended 3-0 to France. Tantashev’s laissez-faire officiating continued; it took an intervention from VAR before he gave the penalty. Paraguay then tried to scuff up the spot.
Mbappe stroked the spot kick in anyway, Ousmane Dembele laughing at the Paraguayan attempts at gamesmanship, and Deschamps may sense a sequel. He has said he does not discuss his playing career with his charges; some were not born, others too young to remember it. But in the 1998 World Cup, France edged past a defensive, obstinate Paraguay side 1-0 in the last 16. They went on to win the tournament.
On a day the United States revelled in its past, Deschamps may feel history is repeating itself.
