France coach Didier Deschamps defended the captain Kylian Mbappe after criticism of his leadership style, insisting that the public perception of the star striker does not reflect who he really is in the national team setup.Speaking after France’s tense 1-0 win over Paraguay in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, Deschamps rejected suggestions that Mbappe had become overly authoritarian since taking over as captain.“No, he hasn’t changed. You make him look like a dictator. Kylian has an image for some people outside that doesn’t correspond at all to reality,” Deschamps told reporters after the match.France secured their place in the quarter-finals thanks to Mbappe’s second-half penalty in a fiercely contested clash at Lincoln Financial Field. Despite dominating possession, Les Bleus struggled to break down Paraguay’s disciplined defense in a game that saw no shots on target from either side before half-time.The match was marked by several flashpoints, including a challenge on Mbappe that triggered a mass confrontation between the players. However, Deschamps said his team had been prepared for Paraguay’s aggressive approach and handled the situation well.“I saw a lot of things,” said Deschamps.“I prepared the players. The players were waiting for this game. I don’t want to criticize Paraguay. Each team plays the way it wants. But there were some insults from the other bench that I could have done without,” he added.“The most important thing is that at the end of the game, there were no disagreements and that (we didn’t) get another card,” he said.France eventually found the breakthrough in the 66th minute when Desire Doue won a penalty, which Mbappe calmly converted. Paraguay pushed for a late equalizer but France held on to book a quarter-final clash against Morocco.
