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By John Oranusi

Kylian Mbappe has accused Paraguay of trying to intimidate France after Les Bleus battled to a hard-earned 1-0 victory that booked their place in the quarter-finals of the tournament.

The France captain did not hold back after the tense Round of 16 contest in Philadelphia, saying his side refused to be bullied and proved they could match their opponents in every part of the game. The win was France's fifth in a row as they continued their impressive march towards the title.

Speaking to reporters after the final whistle, Mbappe said Paraguay had expected France to play a soft, stylish game. Instead, he insisted his team showed they were equally prepared for a physical battle and never backed down when the match became heated.

"They thought we would come in tuxedos and just play beautiful football, but we can play dirty football too," Mbappe said. "If we have to get our hands dirty, we will. Even in dirty football, we were better. They tried to get to us, but it was us who got to them."

The forward also made it clear that France would not stay silent when provoked by opponents. "If they tell us to f*** off, we will also tell them to f*** off," he added.

Mbappe led France's attack against a determined Paraguay side that had already stunned Germany in the previous round by winning a penalty shoot-out. Their earlier success had raised expectations that they could cause another major upset, and they lived up to that reputation by making life difficult for the French throughout the encounter.

Paraguay's aggressive tackling frustrated the French players, yet none of their challenges resulted in bookings. Despite the physical nature of the contest, France kept their discipline, remained patient and eventually found the breakthrough after 70 minutes.

That solitary goal proved enough to seal a narrow victory and send Les Bleus into the last eight. France will now turn their attention to a mouth-watering quarter-final showdown against Morocco in Boston as they continue their pursuit of the championship.