Watch: Real Madrid superstar at the centre of a tense finish in France 1-0 Paraguay | OneFootball

France faced Paraguay in a World Cup round-of-16 clash that saw the South American side make life difficult for Les Bleus.

Not allowed to play their usual, free-flowing brand of football, France had to depend on a solitary penalty from Real Madrid star Mbappe to get past Paraguay on the night.

Mbappe was once again at the heart of the drama as France edged past Paraguay in a tense World Cup knockout match.

France had a far more difficult night than expected, with Paraguay turning the game into a physical, uncomfortable battle before eventually losing by a penalty.

Mbappe was targeted throughout the match and still came through it. Paraguay tried to disrupt France with contact, provocation and constant pressure, but the French captain stayed just calm enough to avoid falling into the trap.

The tension reached its peak after the final whistle.

Gill incident after full-time

Mbappe was standing near Paraguay goalkeeper Gill, who had denied him twice during the match. When Gill offered his hand, the Real Madrid forward walked past without shaking it.

The goalkeeper did not take that well and reacted by throwing the ball at Mbappe’s back while the Frenchman was celebrating with the supporters.

As quoted by Mundo Deportivo, Gill later explained:

“I offered him my hand to congratulate him, but since he paid no attention to me, I got caught up in the heat of the moment. I only did that, but then I calmed down.”

It was an ugly ending to an already tense game, with Mbappe needing to be accompanied by several France teammates as emotions threatened to spill over.

Madrid will like the competitive edge

Mbappe also criticised Paraguay’s rough approach after the match, but his final public message was simple. On Instagram, he wrote:

“A day of work…”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kylian Mbappé (@k.mbappe)

That line sums up the version of Mbappe Real Madrid want to see. Not just the superstar who scores, but the competitor who survives difficult nights, absorbs attention and still helps his team advance.

There will always be debate around gestures like refusing a handshake. Mbappe lives with a level of scrutiny that makes every reaction bigger than it is.

That is knockout football. It is not always clean or elegant. Sometimes it is about suffering, managing emotions and getting through.

Mbappe did exactly that. The finish was heated, but the result belonged to France, and the Real Madrid star moves on with another intense World Cup night behind him.

Paraguay tried their best to get under France’s skin and, to be fair to them, they did. It was just that it did not work on the night.