Real Madrid News
Watch: Real Madrid superstar at the centre of a tense finish in France 1-0 Paraguay
France faced Paraguay in a World Cup round-of-16 clash that saw the South American side make life difficult for Les Bleus.
Not allowed to play their usual, free-flowing brand of football, France had to depend on a solitary penalty from Real Madrid star Mbappe to get past Paraguay on the night.
Mbappe was once again at the heart of the drama as France edged past Paraguay in a tense World Cup knockout match.
France had a far more difficult night than expected, with Paraguay turning the game into a physical, uncomfortable battle before eventually losing by a penalty.
Mbappe was targeted throughout the match and still came through it. Paraguay tried to disrupt France with contact, provocation and constant pressure, but the French captain stayed just calm enough to avoid falling into the trap.
The tension reached its peak after the final whistle.
Gill incident after full-time
Mbappe was standing near Paraguay goalkeeper Gill, who had denied him twice during the match. When Gill offered his hand, the Real Madrid forward walked past without shaking it.
A reação do Orlando Gil, goleiro do Paraguai, após Kylian Mbappé não cumprimentá-lo pic.twitter.com/EMoJaWLPFE
— LIBERTA DEPRE (@liberta___depre) July 5, 2026
The goalkeeper did not take that well and reacted by throwing the ball at Mbappe’s back while the Frenchman was celebrating with the supporters.
As quoted by Mundo Deportivo, Gill later explained:
“I offered him my hand to congratulate him, but since he paid no attention to me, I got caught up in the heat of the moment. I only did that, but then I calmed down.”
It was an ugly ending to an already tense game, with Mbappe needing to be accompanied by several France teammates as emotions threatened to spill over.
Madrid will like the competitive edge
Mbappe also criticised Paraguay’s rough approach after the match, but his final public message was simple. On Instagram, he wrote:
“A day of work…”
That line sums up the version of Mbappe Real Madrid want to see. Not just the superstar who scores, but the competitor who survives difficult nights, absorbs attention and still helps his team advance.
There will always be debate around gestures like refusing a handshake. Mbappe lives with a level of scrutiny that makes every reaction bigger than it is.
That is knockout football. It is not always clean or elegant. Sometimes it is about suffering, managing emotions and getting through.
Mbappe did exactly that. The finish was heated, but the result belonged to France, and the Real Madrid star moves on with another intense World Cup night behind him.
Paraguay tried their best to get under France’s skin and, to be fair to them, they did. It was just that it did not work on the night.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. admits finishing problem after another frustrating night vs Elche: ‘Can’t miss that much’
Vinicius Jr.’s difficult start in front of goal continued against Elche, and the Real Madrid forward did not need anyone to tell him he had missed another chance to make the difference.
The Brazilian finished the night without a goal despite having chances to get on the scoresheet, while his teammates could only watch from the bench as opportunities went begging.
Jose Mourinho had already identified the problem before kick-off, bluntly pointing to the issue facing his forward, stating, “He’s missing the goal.”
Vini offered an equally frank assessment afterwards.
Rather than hide from another frustrating evening, he accepted responsibility on social media: “The goals will come back; I can’t miss that much…”
Two chances, no finish for Vinicius
Vinicius had two particularly clear openings against Elche, but neither produced the finish Real Madrid needed from their star forward.
The first arrived when he found himself one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
Instead of finding the net, Vinicius caught the ball with the tip of his foot and sent his effort wide. Arda Guler was available during the move and called for the ball, but Vini backed himself to finish the chance.
He had another opportunity after the interval, this time following an excellent pass from Guler during a quick Real Madrid transition. Again, though, Vinicius could not find the target.
His evening ended in the 68th minute, with Mourinho deciding the Brazilian was tired and turning his attention towards Sunday’s Atletico Madrid derby.
Mourinho has a bigger decision to make
The numbers show why Vinicius’ finishing has become a talking point. He managed five shots against Elche, but only one was on target and none found the net.
After seven appearances this season, the Brazilian has scored just once, which is a striking return for a player Real Madrid rely upon to provide a major share of their attacking threat.
Ultimately, though, Real Madrid found another route to victory, with Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Carlos Espi providing the goals in the 3-2 comeback.
