2026 World Cup: ‘They refused to play, offered nothing’ – Leboeuf slams Paraguay

Former France defender, Frank Lebouef, has criticized Paraguay for their performance during the 1-0 loss to Les Bleus in the Round of 16 of the 2026 tournament on Saturday in Philadelphia.

Didier Deschamps’ team controlled the game with 76% possession and registered ten times more shots than La Albiroja, with five shots on target compared to just one from the South American side.

Despite this, La Albiroja managed to frustrate the two-time champions for significant periods until a foul on substitute Desire Doue resulted in Kylian Mbappe converting a penalty to score the only goal of the match in the 70th minute.

Leboef, who was part of Didier Deschamps’ 1998 World Cup-winning squad, expressed his discontent regarding Paraguay’s tactics:

“It’s impossible to play against a team like that. They refused to play. … I’m fed up with that football. That team was everything I hate about football, and that’s unfair to World Cup. That’s unfair to their fans.

“They didn’t offer anything. They just defend, keep the ball high. … We knew that as soon as France scored, it was over because there was nothing to be offered by the Paraguay team.”

Next, Didier Deschamps’ team will face African champions Morocco, who triumphed over co-hosts Canada with a score of 3-0 in the Round of 16, at Boston Stadium, Foxborough, on Thursday (July 9).