France Edges Past Paraguay in Round of 16 – Referee Tantashev Faces Criticism

Frenchman Rayan Cherki also vented his frustration after the final whistle: „Wie viele Fouls gab es, 30, 40? Wie viele Gelbe Karten gab es? Dazu habe ich nichts mehr zu sagen.“ France's coach Didier Deschamps complained: „Wir haben drei Gelbe Karten bekommen, und die anderen haben endlos gefoult. Jede Mannschaft spielt so, wie sie es für richtig hält, wobei ich auf einige Beleidigungen der Gegenseite hätte verzichten können.“

Reactions from the French

Mbappé himself said regarding the physical style: „Jeder spielt mit dem, was er hat. Es gibt im Fußball kein Richtig oder Falsch, sondern nur einen Weg: gewinnen.“ He also announced a no-compromise stance for the tasks ahead: „Wenn wir unsere Hände in die Scheiße stecken müssen, werden wir unsere Hände in die Scheiße stecken.“

The statistics back up the criticism: Over the full 90 minutes, Paraguay received not a single yellow card, while France was cautioned three times. Particularly in focus was an incident in the 39th minute, when Paraguay's Matías Galarza struck Mbappé on the shoulder — with no consequences for the offender.

Paraguay Pushes Back Against Accusations

Galarza was visibly emotional after his team's elimination, weeping in the interview area. His coach Gustavo Alfaro defended his team's performance: „Unsere Haltung ist es, auf dem Platz wie Löwen zu kämpfen.“ Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill added: „Das ist Fußball. Wenn sie das nicht gewöhnt sind, was soll ich machen.“

Criticism of Referee Tantashev

Referee Ilgiz Tantashev of Uzbekistan came under massive criticism after the match. MagentaTV expert Patrick Ittrich spoke of a „Kontrollverlust“ by the official. „Der Schiedsrichter hat viel, viel zu lange alles schleifen lassen. Er hat nichts anderes vor, als den Spieler zu schlagen“, Ittrich criticized, and assessed an incident against Dayot Upamecano as an „astreiner Schlag“. Tantashev had failed to punish a stomp on the shin and an elbow to the solar plexus of Upamecano, even though those incidents should have warranted at least a yellow, if not a red card.

Ittrich summed up: „Auch eine versuchte Tätlichkeit ist eine Tätlichkeit.“ Throughout the entire match, Tantashev remained true to his lenient line. Commentator Wolff-Christoph Fuss went even further and compared the match, due to the numerous fouls and scuffles, to a „Kneipenschlägerei“.

Mbappé was unfazed by the physical nature of the match: „Wir haben kein Problem damit“, he said, even though he himself could have received a caution for several actions. The French subsequently faced repeated abusive insults, as Deschamps confirmed.

Outlook: Quarterfinal Against Morocco

For Paraguay, the World Cup is over. Galarza and his teammates departed the tournament in tears, while the French delegation had already turned its attention forward. On Thursday at 22:00 CEST, France faces Morocco in Boston; Morocco defeated co-host Canada 3-0 in the tournament so far and eliminated the Netherlands. Morocco was also a 2022 World Cup semifinalist.

The duel with the North Africans evokes memories of the 2022 World Cup semifinal, which France won 2-0. Mbappé announced: „Wir wissen, dass sie eine sehr starke Mannschaft sind, und wir werden unser Bestes geben, um unseren Weg fortzusetzen.“

France goes into the next round as the favorite but must work on its discipline. Three yellow cards from a round-of-16 match are a liability for the coming games, especially since in knockout rounds yellow-card suspensions can become a danger. The squad coached by Deschamps knows that a physical evening is likely in store against Morocco — and is already preparing for it.

Overall, the match between France and Paraguay offered few scoring chances but plenty of hard and at times unfair challenges. Despite the controversial performance, the Équipe Tricolore is through to the quarterfinals, but the discussion about referee Tantashev's performance will continue to occupy FIFA.