France are into the World Cup quarter-finals, and if you were expecting a glittering, free-flowing performance from one of the tournament favourites, well, Paraguay had other ideas. It took a Kylian Mbappe penalty in the second half to separate the two sides in Philadelphia, and honestly, Paraguay will feel a little hard done by when they sit down and think about it.
Let's be fair to Paraguay here because they were genuinely excellent. They pressed, they organised, they frustrated, and they made France look very ordinary for long stretches of the game. There is a real beauty in watching a well-drilled underdog side stick to their game plan and make a big nation squirm, and Paraguay did exactly that. They came to compete, not just make up the numbers, and that deserves respect.
Of course, France have Mbappe, and when you have Mbappe, you always have a chance. The penalty was the difference, and whatever you think about how it was won, he stepped up and put it away without so much as a raised heartbeat. The man is just wired differently. He could probably take a penalty in the middle of a thunderstorm with the weight of a nation on his shoulders and still look like he's in the back garden having a kick about.
The bigger concern for France will be that they have not really hit top gear yet in this tournament. A team with their quality should not be relying on a single penalty to beat Paraguay. Didier Deschamps will know that if they perform like this against a quarter-final opponent, they could easily be going home. The talent in that squad is undeniable but talent without rhythm and cohesion only gets you so far in a knockout tournament.
Paraguay can leave with their heads held high. They gave everything and pushed one of the best teams in the world all the way. That is not nothing. France move on, but they have questions to answer if they want to go all the way in this competition.
Let me know your thoughts.