Mbappe: ‘France ready to get hands dirty — winning is all that matters’

France booked their place in the World Cup 2026 quarterfinals after grinding out an extra-time victory over Paraguay in the round of 16. Speaking after the match, Kylian Mbappe delivered a raw and unfiltered assessment of his team’s performance. “We knew what kind of game was coming. Paraguay tried to drag us into a scrap, to make us uncomfortable — but we stood up to it. If we have to get our hands dirty, we’ll do it. Sorry for the language, but that’s the reality. They expected us to show up in tuxedos, playing pretty one-twos and looking elegant. But we can play ugly football too, and tonight we proved we’re even better at that game than they are,” Mbappe said. The France captain insisted there is no right or wrong way to play — only winning. “They wanted to make it rough? We turned the tables and beat them at their own game. Now it’s about recovery and focusing on Morocco. That’s a different kind of challenge,” he added. France will face Morocco in Boston on July 9 at 11:00 PM local time in the quarterfinal clash.