Gill hurls ball at Mbappé as France edge past Paraguay in Philadelphia
Gill hurls ball at Mbappé as France edge past Paraguay in Philadelphia
Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill threw the ball at France captain Kylian Mbappé in a flashpoint after the final whistle of their 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday, July 4. France won 1-0, with Mbappé scoring the decisive goal from the penalty spot in the 70th minute. Gill subsequently acknowledged he lost his composure.
The incident occurred as Mbappé celebrated toward the crowd following the final whistle. As he moved past Gill, the Paraguay goalkeeper extended his hand for a handshake, received no acknowledgment, and then threw the ball at him. "I tried to shake his hand, but since he didn't pay me any attention, I lost my temper," Gill said. The altercation was the culmination of a fractious, physical contest in which Mbappé was targeted repeatedly by Paraguay players. Midfielder Andrés Cubas grabbed Mbappé in the offensive third in the 35th minute; Matias Galarza made contact with him off the ball later in the first half; and Juan José Cáceres kicked Mbappé in the right shin in the 77th minute. Paraguay were not shown a yellow card for any of those incidents. France, by contrast, collected three yellow cards during the match - the only bookings issued across both squads. bandy betting odds
Mbappé addressed the tactical brutality directly after the match. "We knew what kind of match it was going to be," he said. "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. Even at that kind of game, we were better than them." France head coach Didier Deschamps was equally pointed, condemning Paraguay's approach and noting verbal provocation from the opposing bench. "They pull out every trick in the book," Deschamps said. "It's not the kind of football that draws people to the stadium. There were insults from the other bench that I could do without."
France advance to the World Cup quarterfinals following the result, while Paraguay are eliminated. The governing body has not publicly confirmed whether disciplinary proceedings will follow from the post-match incident.
