France’s captain Kylian Mbappe said they were expecting dirty tactics from Paraguay in their round of 16 win in the FIFA World Cup. Paraguay were always in the face of the French players and played aggressively and physically against Les Bleus.

After a goalless first half, Mbappe scored from a spot kick in the 70th minute to give his team the decisive lead at the Philadelphia Stadium on Saturday.

“We knew what kind of match we were going to have,” Mbappé said in French. “We can also get our hands dirty, we know how to do it. We know how to play ugly football. Guess they were thinking we were going to show up in tuxedos, but we were ready.”

Meanwhile, Mbappé, 27, has netted seven goals in the ongoing World Cup, leveled with Lionel Messi, and 19 in his 19 World Cup games.

France midfielder Rayan Cherki, who came on as a substitute late in the game, concurred with Mbappé’s opinion on Paraguay’s physical style.

“We knew that today, we would show our technical and tactical abilities less. We reminded everyone that the France team is not just about football. If you go to war with us, this is the response you can expect,” Cherki said.

After the match came to a close, Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill threw a ball at Mbappé’s back.

“I tried to shake his hand, but since he didn’t pay me any attention, I lost my temper,” Gill said.

Didier Deschamps admitted it wasn’t easy but expressed his delight after his team got the line against the South American team.

France coach Didier Deschamps said after the match: “It wasn’t easy. If we’d taken one of our chances late in the game, it would have been a much more comfortable finish.

“Paraguay uses every trick in the book. It’s not necessarily the kind of football people enjoy watching, but we stayed focused, and that’s not easy to do.”

France will face Morocco in the quarterfinal clash on Thursday in Foxborough, Massachusetts.