Didier Deschamps, the coach of the France national team, praised the fighting performance presented by his players during the difficult victory over Paraguay with a goal to none, in the match that brought together the two teams in the round of 32 competitions of the 2026 World Cup, stressing that his team deserved to qualify for the quarter-finals after a strong confrontation. And the club.
Deschamps said in his statements after the match that the match was complicated from the beginning, pointing out that the French national team could have settled it more comfortably if it had succeeded in exploiting the opportunities afforded to it during the last minutes, but Paraguay imposed a strong physical style and made the task difficult for its players.
The French coach explained that the opponent relied on defensive clustering and closed the spaces well, pointing out that the high temperatures also affected the rhythm of the match, but he praised the time. Same with the focus of his players and their ability to maintain their calm until the final whistle.
Deschamps touched on the violent interventions that his players were subjected to, stressing that the Paraguay national team is good at playing this type of matches, and added that France received several yellow cards, while some violations committed by the opponent were not counted. He also recalled what happened in the 2018 World Cup when he had to replace Kylian Mbappe against Uruguay to protect him, noting that during the last minutes of the current match he asked the strongest players on the bench to go to support Mbappe and protect him until the final whistle blew.
Deschamps concluded his statements by emphasizing the importance of this qualification, considering that facing South American teams is always extremely difficult, and expressing his happiness with the cohesion and team spirit that his players presented, He is certain that the team will take advantage of the coming days to recover and prepare in the best possible way for the quarter-final match.