Philadelphia: France captain Kylian Mbappé insisted his side is prepared to do whatever is necessary to progress in the World Cup following a gritty 1-0 victory over Paraguay in a volatile last-16 encounter on Sunday (IST).

Mbappé secured the win with a 70th-minute penalty, bringing his tournament tally to seven goals and his career total in the competition to 19. Throughout the latter stages of the match, played in oppressive heat in Philadelphia, he was frequently provoked by Paraguayan defenders.

"We knew what sort of match we were in for, but I think today went really well," Mbappé said.

"They thought we'd turn up in tuxedos, that we'd just come to pull off some spectacular moves," he added.

"But we know how to play the dirty game, too. And we did that today; we won, and even in that respect we were better than them."

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The Real Madrid striker noted that the performance highlighted a versatility within the squad. "The way we played today showed that we're not just a team that knows how to play attacking football," he said.

"If we have to get our hands dirty, we'll get our hands dirty. Sorry for the expression, but we've no problem with that."

The match proved a fractious affair, though Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev issued only three yellow cards, all of which were shown to French players. Tensions peaked as Mbappé prepared for his spot-kick, with players from both teams confronting one another while Paraguayan squad members attempted to disrupt the pitch around the penalty spot.

"That's their football, that's their way of playing," the 27-year-old said.

"Everyone plays to their strengths; there's no right or wrong way to play football. There's only one way, and that's to win.

"They tried to get the better of us that way, but we got the better of them in that, too. Now we're moving on to the next stage."

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France is set to face Morocco in the quarter-finals in Boston next Thursday. The match will be a rematch of the 2022 semi-final, which France won 2-0.

"We know they're a very good team. And we're really looking forward to playing against them," Mbappé said, adding: "We'll give it our all to keep moving forward."

With inputs from AFP