MBAPPE Y FANS FRANCESES EXPLOTAN Y DICEN ESTO AL FINALIZAR FRANCIA VS PARAGUAY

MBAPPE AND FRENCH FANS EXPLODE AND SAY THIS AFTER FRANCE VS. PARAGUAY Some defeats are worth more than many victories. On June 21, 2018, in Ekaterinburg, the Peruvian national team fell 1-0 to France with a goal from a very young Kylian Mbappé. Peru was eliminated that day, but left the stadium with something no score can take away: the respect of the world. La Blanquirroja (the Peruvian national team) attacked for the full 90 minutes, played attractive football, created chances, and their fans turned Russia into an extension of their own National Stadium. The image that went viral was that of the French players themselves applauding the Peruvian fans at the end of the match, acknowledging a rival that lost playing the way it should be played. Eight years later, that memory resurfaced in the football conversation in the most unexpected way. Philadelphia, July 4, 2026: The Other Side of the Coin France faced another South American team in a World Cup, and once again won 1-0 with a goal from Mbappé. But that's where the similarities end. In the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, Paraguay put up a fight of extreme endurance: five defenders, eleven players behind the ball, constant interruptions, and a physical game that pushed the limits. The numbers tell the whole story: France had 81% possession in the first half, and Paraguay only managed their first shot on goal in the 89th minute. By the 80th minute, the second half had barely accumulated 13 minutes of actual playing time. The match was decided by a penalty awarded by VAR after a foul by Diego Gómez on Désiré Doué, which Mbappé converted in the 70th minute. And the ending was anything but sportsmanlike: the French captain ignored the handshake from Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill, who responded by throwing the ball at his back, sparking a melee between the two teams. Mbappé exploded: "We also know how to play dirty." The Real Madrid striker's post-match comments went viral. "Paraguay didn't want to play football... and we showed them we knew how," he declared. And he went even further: "If we have to get down and dirty, we'll get our hands dirty. We also know how to play dirty football." He wasn't the only one. Rayan Cherki and William Saliba questioned why Paraguay finished the match without a single yellow card, despite the hard tackles, elbows, and even a stamp on Mbappé, while France ended up with three cautions. From the Paraguayan side, coach Gustavo Alfaro defended his team: he asserted that they faced France "with dignity" and that his players "fought like lions." It's the eternal debate in football: where is defensive sacrifice legitimate and where does anti-football begin? "Why isn't Peru there?": French nostalgia The most striking comment came after the final whistle, in the remarks of French fans under the match highlights on their country's television. Amidst the frustration with the spectacle, several fans asked themselves the same question: what happened to South American football? Why isn't Peru, which played an incredible match against France in 2018, there instead of what we saw in 2026? And it's not an isolated memory. Just a few weeks before this World Cup, Mbappé himself chose the Peru vs. France match in Russia 2018 as the second most difficult scenario of his entire career. "I had the feeling that we were playing in Peru, even though we were on the other side of the world," he confessed about that red and white tide in Ekaterinburg.