The utopia was impossible: France defeated Paraguay 1-0 and advanced to the quarter-finals

Now, unfortunately, the impossible utopia could not be caught, although not by much. In a match where they followed their plan 99.9% well, Paraguay lost only 1-0 to France, one of the top contenders for the 2026 World Cup, due to a penalty goal and was eliminated in the round of 16.

The start of the match was as expected: a European team with total dominance of the actions and a South American team completely locked in defense waiting to counterattack. This tactical approach would yield results for Gustavo Alfaro's team, as in the entire first half, there would only be one dangerous chance for the French: a shot from Ousmane Dembélé in the 38th minute that would deflect off Omar Alderete and go just past the left post.

In the second half, the reality would remain the same, with a proactive France and a defensive Paraguay, although there would be one difference: the interventions of Orlando Gill. While he had not been tested until that moment, the Paraguayan goalkeeper would become key to maintaining the 0-0. One of his most important saves would come in the 54th minute, with a great stop on a long-range shot from Manu Koné.

As the minutes passed, "Les Blues" would add several chances in the opponent's area, until inevitably their clearest opportunity to take the lead would arise: a penalty. In the 65th minute, the substitute Désiré Doué, with pure dribbling, would draw a foul from Diego Gómez in the area, and after a review in the VAR, the referee would award the penalty. The responsibility to take it fell to Kylian Mbappé, who would not disappoint, putting the hard-fought 1-0.

Despite the need to equalize to stay alive in the tournament, the Paraguayans would start to push a little more forward, but they really would not trouble their opponent, who would be close to extending their lead with a long-distance shot from Mbappé in the 88th minute saved by Gill. At the end, the Albirroja goalkeeper would prevent the 2-0 with a spectacular double block on the Real Madrid forward, but he could not avoid his team's elimination.

With this narrow victory, France advanced to the round of 16, where they will face Morocco next Thursday July 9 at 17:00 (Argentina time) at the Gillette Stadium in Boston.