Didier Deschamps knew his France team was up for a dogged fight with Paraguay in the round of 16 clash at the World Cup. But the way the game unfolded, even he was taken aback by the ‘little tricks’ Paraguay had in store for them. He even feared his stars could be chopped down before they ultimately won 1-0 and progressed to the quarterfinals.

Deschamps sat down with the media after one of the most physically taxing games, as the mercury hovered around 100°F at Lincoln Financial Field. The World Cup-winning coach was full of praise for his team.

“There are so many little tricks that can be irritating or can be provocative, or even trigger a sense of injustice. So it’s not easy, but they managed it; that’s a very good thing,” Deschamps hit back at Paraguay’s tactics.

When Kylian Mbappé was preparing to take a penalty in the 70th minute, Gustavo Velázquez kicked the spot to scuff it up to distract Mbappé. France’s Jules Kounde and Dayot Upamecano took heavy blows, and Adrien Rabiot was swept off his feet, but none of the Paraguayan players received a booking. The referee, Ilgiz Tantashev, was accused of not calling multiple fouls in France’s favor.

Contrastingly, Matias Galarza went down after Michael Olise grabbed his shirt and earned Olise a booking. France, on the other hand, had three players with a yellow card to their name.

“It comes down to fine margins. I’m very pleased that the players kept their composure. Because, given the situation, things could easily have spiraled, obviously, if you get drawn into that. Unfortunately, Germany did fall into that trap; things can go wrong. My advice is to stick to the game plan and do what we do best,” Deschamps showered praise on his team for not giving up.

France controlled most of the ball, finishing with 75.9% possession, 15 shots, and 5 shots on target, while Paraguay managed 5 shots and 1 on target. France were made to work hard in the heat, but their front four still created enough pressure to edge the contest.

The South American team was happy to get under the skin of France with some fouls and drag the game to extra time and beyond. They successfully implemented the tactics against Germany in the round of 32, as they beat Germany 4-3 on penalties after the game ended 1-1 after extra time.

Mbappé, who scored the only goal of the game, blasted France’s opponents for their play.

“We know how to play ugly football,” he said after the game. “They [Paraguay] thought we’d show up in tuxedos, but we were ready. Even at that game, we were better than them.”

France now advances to the quarterfinals, where they face Morocco, as Paraguay heads home after causing plenty of disruptions to European nations with their gameplay.