Ammon News - Francearrived 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