NEW YORK, July 5 : For four matches at the World Cup, France had enchanted the world with their attacking play — spellbinding Champagne football that invited comparisons with some of the game’s greatest sides.Yet in Saturday’s trench war against Paraguay, Les Bleus showed they could get their hands dirt

Paraguay 0-1 France: Kylian Mbappe’s second-half penalty was enough to break the resistance of a niggly Paraguay and reach another quarter-final

PHILADELPHIA, July 4 : France arrived in Philadelphia with the swagger of World Cup heavyweights and left looking like they had spent the afternoon wrestling a cactus, grinding…

Kylian Mbappé converted a second-half penalty to give France a 1-0 win then criticised Paraguay’s approach to an ill-tempered World Cup last-16 game

“Today we showed that whoever wants to go to war against us we’re ready to go to war as well," said one France player after winning

Didier Deschamps’ side ditch their tuxedos to reach World Cup quarter-finals

There was play-acting, time-wasting, outright cheating. But there was also defensive commitment and a resolve to see the game plan through

July 5 : Paraguay's remarkable World Cup journey came to a grinding halt against France, but not before the South American underdogs proved that good old-fashioned grit and a few…

NEW YORK, July 5 : For four matches at the World Cup, France had enchanted the world with their attacking play — spellbinding Champagne football that invited comparisons with some…

Tournament favourites France will go into their World Cup quarter-final against Morocco with their confidence further bolstered by the manner in which they saw off Paraguay on…

PHILADELPHIA, July 6 — Tournament favourites France will go into their World Cup quarter-final against Morocco with their confidence further bolstered by the manner in which…