It was a fight — literally and figuratively. Paraguay deployed a mixture of determination and the dark arts to keep favourites France at bay until a moment of magic from Desire Doue earned them the penalty that Kylian Mbappe converted with ease.
The final 1-0 scoreline was largely due to Paraguay and might offer other teams an idea of how to stop the juggernaut that is France. But then, there was perhaps some learning for this French team too on a day that, at 38 degrees Celsius, was the hottest ever for a FIFA World Cup match.
Paraguay are comfortable without the ball (way more than other teams) — with an average of just 28% possession in their first four games, they had the second-lowest possession stat in the tournament. They sit deep, frustrate opponents and find a way to win games. It isn’t pretty but, so far, it had worked; it helped them qualify for the knockouts and it had helped them knock out Germany.
But could this tactic work against France, which possesses some of the most exciting attacking talent in the footballing world? As the start time approached, that was the question on the minds of most fans.
{{/usCountry}}But could this tactic work against France, which possesses some of the most exciting attacking talent in the footballing world? As the start time approached, that was the question on the minds of most fans.
{{/usCountry}}Team coach Gustavo Alfaro had laid out the manifesto on the eve of the Germany game.
“We came here to compete,” he said. “Not to search for results. This group of players have overcome adversities and shown that football does not depend on the amount of money that a country has. Our people get back up from adversities, and we want to represent this spirit on the field.”
He sang a similar tune for France, painting his side as the clear underdog.
“France is a thunderstorm, and almost all its lightning strikes the ground. Our task is to protect ourselves from this thunderstorm,” Alfaro had said ahead of the game.
And, to be fair, the low block worked. France has pace, but they just kept running into a wall of defenders. Paraguay had two players marking Michael Olise and another two on Ousmane Dembele. With the creative talents snuffed out, shots from distance were the only avenue left.
That really didn’t hurt Paraguay too much and none of them were on target in the first half. So while France were running the game, they weren’t making much headway.
Then, in the 61st minute, Didier Deschamps brought in his game-breaker. Doue had started a couple of games, but Bradley Barcola’s direct approach seemed to have taken precedence. Now, he turned to the twinkle-toed winger.
Many managers don’t like players who constantly look to take on the opposition. It can get repetitive, it can slow the game down and sometimes, it is little more than showboating.
But in a gridlocked game — and we have seen plenty of those in this World Cup — a dash of brilliance can help. That is exactly what Doue introduced into the mix. There was very little space to play through the middle and even less space to run in behind, but Doue ran in from the left, taking defenders on. The ball went from his right foot to his left and, just when it looked like he had broken through, Diego Gomez stuck out his leg.
After a VAR review, Mbappe stepped up to the spot and converted in the 70th minute. The record books will show that this was the France skipper’s seventh goal of the tournament, taking him level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race, but this moment belonged to Doue and his kind.
The mad dribblers, the people who inspire awe; who nutmeg defenders; who delight in trickery. From Garrincha to Messi, there have been many who have walked the path. But the road is anything but straight and not everyone who walks it finds success.
The dribblers push the limits, back themselves into a corner and then somehow (not always) find a way out of it. And when they do, it throws the defence into a panic and gets the crowd on its feet.
It is one of the reasons we love watching Lamine Yamal or Jeremy Doku. It is also why we still hope Neymar gets going for Brazil. For they all have magic in their feet and joy in their hearts.