Kylian Mbappe: Handshake Snub Sparks Post-Match Fury after France’s 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the FIFA World Cup round of 16. The match, played in sweltering Philadelphia heat, saw Mbappe score the winning goal from a penalty kick following a VAR review. The French captain’s seventh goal of the tournament put him level at the top of the Golden Boot standings and moved him within one goal of Lionel Messi’s all-time World Cup record.
After the final whistle, tensions erupted during the traditional handshake line. Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill attempted to shake Mbappe’s hand, but the French star ignored him and turned to celebrate with supporters. An angry Gill then threw the ball at Mbappe, hitting him in the back, though Mbappe chose not to react. “I tried to shake his hand, but since he didn’t pay me any attention, I lost my temper,” Gill admitted afterwards.
Mbappe defended his team’s physical approach, acknowledging that France was prepared for Paraguay’s aggressive tactics. “We knew what kind of match it was going to be. We can also get our hands dirty. We know how to play ugly football,” Mbappe said. “They probably thought we’d turn up in tuxedos, but we were ready.”
The victory sends France into the quarter-finals for the fourth consecutive World Cup. They will face Morocco, a team they defeated in the semi-finals of the 2022 tournament in Qatar. The incident involving Kylian Mbappe’s handshake snub highlights the intense emotions of knockout football, but both players have since calmed down, moving on to their next challenges.