France scrape past Paraguay to reach World Cup quarter-finals

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This was the least convincing performance by the World Cup favourites and their quarter-final opponents will also make it uncomfortable for them

There were furious celebrations when France secured their place in the quarter-finals. The entire squad charged from the centre spot to the end of the Philadelphia stadium where the core of French support was gathered. There was a pile-on, there was roaring and chests were actively thumped. Leading the proceedings, as ever, was Kylian Mbappé.

As soon as the revelry had subsided, the French captain immediately turned to the TV cameras and framed the narrative of the game. This had been less of a match and more of a battle , he said, against a Paraguay side who had nagged, nibbled and, occasionally, smashed their way through proceedings. “We knew what kind of match we were going to have,” Mbappé said. “But we know how to get our hands dirty.”

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