Mbappé didn't even turn his head after being hit by the ball, winning the dirtiest World Cup match in 70 degree Philadelphia.

The final whistle blew at Lincoln Financial Field. Mbappé walked towards Paraguayan goalkeeper Gil, not extending his hand. Gil turned and casually threw the ball, hitting Mbappé on the back.

68,324 people watched the full 90 minutes. France beat Paraguay 1-0 to advance to the quarter-finals. A captain who had just scored his 19th World Cup goal couldn’t even be bothered to shake hands after the match. Gil won Man of the Match with four saves; he could have left the pitch with dignity, but he chose to hit a player with the ball instead.

These 90 minutes were never just a football match.

Possession at 76%, shots 15 to 5, corners 12 to 2, passes 568 to 183. On paper, it was a complete domination.

Yet in the first 60 minutes, France’s expected goals (xG) were only 0.25. For an hour, France hadn’t produced a single shot that troubled Gil. They kept the ball so long their hands were sweating, treating possession like a rosary. The stats looked good but were utterly useless.

It wasn’t until the 54th minute that Kone fired a curling shot from outside the box, and Gil tipped it over the bar with one hand. That was Gil’s first save of the match. France had attacked for over an hour before forcing the goalkeeper to make his first move.

Philadelphia that day had a real-feel temperature of 43°C, with the turf surface at 43–49°C and the stadium seats baking at nearly 70°C. 68,324 people sat in a steamer, the air thick and heavy. Forbes had called on FIFA before the match to delay kick-off until evening; FIFA stayed silent.

Paraguay coach Alfaro’s plan was simple: a 5-4-1 bus parked right in front of the box. Delay, foul, make France irritable under the scorching sun. Every extra minute drained another layer of energy from the French players. Paraguay didn’t need to win; they just waited for France to collapse on their own.

The heat lit the emotional fuse. During the second water break, Deschamps lost his temper at his own players. It wasn’t about tactical execution; some players had started retaliating against Paraguay’s provocations. Deschamps feared someone might lose their cool and get a red card.

In the end, France picked up three yellow cards: Bakola in the 19th minute, Kone in the 81st, and Olise in the 90th. Paraguay’s foul count was similar to France’s, but they received zero yellow cards. The 42-year-old Uzbek referee, Tantashev, was officiating his first World Cup; ESPN described his performance as "incredibly poor."

Dirtier than the refereeing were the off-field tactics. Two days before the match, news broke that Paraguay’s bench had insulted Deschamps, referencing his recently deceased mother. Deschamps’ mother had passed away in late June; he had returned home for the funeral, missing France’s group-stage match against Norway, and FIFA had even denied France’s request to wear black armbands.

After the match, Deschamps didn’t directly confirm the mother-insult rumors, but he told BBC and Reuters, "There were some insults from the opposing bench that we should not have had to endure." Alfaro quickly denied the accusations, calling them "out of line." He never admitted anything happened; he just rushed to distance himself.

Throughout the match, Mbappé received special attention. He said in his post-match interview: "They think we came to play pretty football in tuxedos, but we can play dirty football too."

In the 61st minute, Deschamps made a substitution: Doué replaced Bakola.

This move hit the mark. Doué picked up the ball, drove into the box, beat three players in succession, and was already past them when Diego Gómez brought him down. VAR took a long look; a penalty.

In the 70th minute, Mbappé stood at the spot. He rolled the ball into the bottom right corner with the inside of his right foot, while Gil dove the other way. Goal.

His 7th goal of the tournament, his 19th World Cup goal overall. With 7 goals this tournament, he matched Messi, but he still trails by one overall.

Paraguay had held their bus for 69 minutes, only to be beaten by a substitute taking on three defenders one-on-three in the box. You can’t draw up that kind of goal on a tactics board; you can only force it with raw talent.

In stoppage time, Gil made two saves to deny Mbappé a second goal. He deserved to be Man of the Match, but he still threw the ball at Mbappé’s back.

Mbappé didn’t look back.

1-0. France advances. 70% possession. 15 shots.

Their next opponent is Morocco, who sent Canada packing with a clean 3-0 win and are well-rested. Philadelphia’s 43°C real-feel temperature had evaporated a layer of energy from the French players; this physical battle also cost them three yellow cards and a lot of frustration.

The quarter-final ticket is in hand. As Deschamps walked back to the locker room, he probably couldn’t even force a smile.