At Lincoln Financial Field on 4/7, Paraguay used numerous dirty tricks to disrupt France's play. Examples include Gustavo Velazquez secretly tampering with the penalty spot as Kylian Mbappe prepared to take a penalty, Gabriel Avalos elbowing Dayot Upamecano in the chest during a throw-in, and Matias Galarza fouling Mbappe off the ball.

The fact that no Paraguay player received a card was unusual, given referee Ilgiz Tantashev's poor handling of the match.

Players from both teams clash after Kylian Mbappe was fouled in France's 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA on 4/7. *Reuters*

Commenting on BBC, Hart called Paraguay's performance a disgrace. "If they were on my team, I would pull half of them off the pitch. I would never want to win or play football that way", the former England and Man City goalkeeper said.

Hart then criticized referee Tantashev's officiating: "It's unbelievable that not a single Paraguay player received a card. However, this only adds to France's praise. Sometimes you don't need to play beautiful football; what's important is knowing how to win as a team".

Micah Richards agreed with Joe Hart, stating that Paraguay did not need to resort to such dirty tricks because they already possessed a well-organized defense. According to him, the match should have seen at least 5 or 6 yellow cards, but that no longer mattered as France still advanced to the quarterfinals.

"Paraguay is better than what they showed", the former Man City defender expressed. "They defended very solidly, were organized, and did not need such actions. It's shameful. They tried to draw France into a psychological battle and almost succeeded, but ultimately France behaved appropriately".

Mbappe scored the only goal of the match.

Former midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger also criticized Paraguay and referee Tantashev, calling it one of the worst officiating performances he had witnessed since the start of the tournament.

"Before the match, I had great respect for Paraguay. But after what happened, I have almost no affection left for this team", commented the former German legend. "If you are Paraguayan, perhaps you see them as warriors. But if you are a France fan or a neutral spectator, it's very difficult to accept the way they played".

Zlatan Ibrahimovic also praised France's composure for not getting drawn into their opponent's provocations. When asked if it was difficult to remain calm in such circumstances, the former Sweden striker humorously replied that it was also part of football.

"I like to play proper football and I don't like being provoked", he responded. "But that's part of the game. France remained calm, played comfortably, and completed their task. They smiled. That's the best way to respond: smile, score, win, and then celebrate with the fans".

Hong Duy (according to Globo, Daily Mail)