Mbappé Pledges Serious Approach to Paraguay and Supports Deschamps

Following Tuesday’s match, Kylian Mbappé spoke to the French channel M6, emphasizing the team's awareness of their responsibilities. He stated, "I and all the players fully understand the tasks required of us; knockout rounds are like a new tournament."

The French forward, who scored twice against Sweden, added, "We performed well despite initial difficulties and missed chances to secure an early lead."

Regarding his goal celebration where he embraced coach Didier Deschamps, Mbappé explained, "This is the spirit of the team. We all support and stand by him during these challenging moments that affect us all, but he will never be alone."

When asked what occupies his thoughts before facing Paraguay, Mbappé responded humorously, "I focus on the air conditioning in the locker room because it’s very hot," before continuing, "The Paraguay team has proven that we must prepare seriously to face them after they qualified at Germany's expense. Of course, our goal is to win the upcoming match."

Mbappé increased his total to six goals, tying with Argentine star Lionel Messi as the top scorers of the tournament, followed by Norwegian Erling Haaland with five goals.

He also narrowed the gap to Messi in the all-time World Cup scoring race, with the Argentine having scored 19 goals compared to 18 for the French captain.