Kylian Mbappe had a ball thrown at him before a huge brawl broke out on the pitch as tempers flared at the end of France’s ill-tempered win over Paraguay at the World Cup on Saturday.
Les Bleus advanced to the last 16 of the tournament after earning a narrow 1-0 victory in Philadelphia, with Mbappe firing home the winner from the penalty spot in the 70th minute.
Paraguay’s physical approach was a brutal one at the home of the NFL’s Eagles, where they somehow escaped without a yellow card despite lashing out at several France players on the night.
Mbappe in particular was targeted by the likes of Andres Cubas, Matias Galarza and Juan Jose Caceres, including when the latter kicked him in the shin in the 77th minute, which triggered the fiery scenes at full time. He was also seen laughing when Galarza confronted him at one stage in the match.
Once the final whistle went, Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill tried to shake Mbappe’s hand, only to throw a ball at his back when he ignored him.
The Real Madrid star had appeared to taunt Gill after he tucked away the winning penalty roughly 20 minutes earlier, before the pair exchanged some heated words.
Kylian Mbappe had a ball thrown at him at the end of France’s ill-tempered win over Paraguay
A brawl also broke out near the center circle as tempers flared after the game in Philadelphia
And following the ball-throwing incident, several players from both sets of teams were involved in a fracas near the center circle.
Mbappe said after France’s win: ‘I think that today, the match we had, the way we played it, was very good. We showed that we’re not just a team that knows how to play attacking football.
‘If we have to get our hands dirty, we’ll get our hands dirty, excuse the expression. We have no problem with that.’
Gill, meanwhile, admitted he briefly lost his temper when his handshake offer was snubbed.
‘I gave him my hand to congratulate him but he ignored me. Obviously I entered a heated moment, but that’s all I did. After that, I calmed down,’ he explained.
‘I just wanted to congratulate them. The truth is, they’ve had an excellent campaign as they’re the favorites to be world champions.’
‘From the very first moment, we set out to make our presence felt on the pitch – to play hard,’ Gill added about Paraguay’s violent approach.
‘If the ball gets through, the man doesn’t. And, honestly, I think the team handled itself well.’
France players were seemingly left frustrated with Paraguay’s violent approach on the field
Mbappe was seen laughing while being confronted by Paraguay’s Matias Galarza at one stage
France felt otherwise. ‘They pull out every trick in the book,’ France coach Didier Deschamps said. ‘It’s not the kind of football that draws people to the stadium.
‘Each team played the way they want. But there were insults from the other bench that I could do without.’
‘We fought a battle,’ France defender William Saliba said. ‘We won the battle.’
After coming through that war, France will now take on Morocco in a mouthwatering last-16 tie on Thursday.
