(AP)
France superstar Kylian Mbappé said "we know how to play dirty football too" and praised his team for keeping it cool and not falling for Paraguay's attempts to provoke fights and fouls.
"They thought we'd come out to play in tuxedos, that we'd just come out to pull off fancy moves and one-twos. We know how to play dirty football too," he said after the 1-0 win on Saturday.
Mbappé scored the winner from the spot in the 70th minute after Desire Doue was brought down in the box.
"If we have to get our hands dirty, we'll get our hands dirty. We have no problem with that," he said.
The penalty was only awarded after video review and referee Ilgiz Tantashev was criticized by France coach Didier Deschamps for his lenient approach.
"We got three yellow cards, and the other team fouled us endlessly. Every team plays the way it sees fit, though I could have done without some of the insults from the opposing side," Deschamps said.
Forward Rayan Cherki was also upset: "How many fouls were there, 30, 40? How many yellow cards were there? I have nothing more to say about that."
The game saw few goal chances, but plenty of tough - and at times unsportsmanlike - tackles.
One of the biggest controversies came in the 39th minute, when Paraguay's Matías Galarza hit Mbappé on the shoulder while he didn't have the ball.
Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro defended his team's performance, saying: "Our approach is to fight like lions on the pitch."