Paraguay Goalkeeper Comments on Mbappé's Refusal to Shake Hands

France secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Paraguay, advancing to the World Cup quarterfinals where Kylian Mbappé and his teammates will face Morocco.

At the conclusion of the match, Mbappé declined to shake hands with Paraguay's goalkeeper, Gil. Instead, the French star celebrated provocatively in front of the goalkeeper, prompting Gil to strike Mbappé on the back with the ball.

Mbappé's reaction came amid Paraguay's physical style of play against France throughout the game.

Gil spoke about the incident with Mbappé in comments reported by the newspaper "AS": "I extended my hand to congratulate him, but he did not respond, so I got a little upset, that's all. Then I calmed down. I just wanted to congratulate him because they had a great season and are strong contenders for the title."

Addressing criticism of Paraguay's playing style under coach Gustavo Alvaro, Gil added: "This is football. If they are not used to this, what can we do? We are the Paraguay national team, a strong team known for physical toughness. We wanted to assert our presence on the pitch and show our strength. I think the team performed well."

Paraguay delivered a solid World Cup performance, eliminating Germany in the round of 32 before exiting the tournament after facing France.