FIFA World Cup 2026: “You make him seem like dictator” Deschamps defe…

Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) [US], July 5 (ANI): France head coach Didier Deschamps came out in support of captain Kylian Mbappe following criticism over his leadership of the national team, saying the striker’s public image does not reflect the person he is within the squad.

Speaking to reporters after France secured a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals, Deschamps dismissed suggestions that Mbappe had changed since taking over the captaincy.

“No, he hasn’t changed. You make him seem like a dictator. Kylian has an image for some people on the outside that doesn’t correspond at all to reality," Deschamps told reporters after the match in a video shared by news outlet LIBERTA DEPRE on X. rouesnews.click

Deschamps also said his players were prepared for Paraguay’s physical approach and praised captain Kylian Mbappe’s leadership after Les Bleus edged past the South American side 1-0 to reach the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals, according to Reuters.

Reflecting on the fiercely contested Round of 16 encounter, Deschamps said his squad had anticipated the nature of the match and managed to remain disciplined throughout.

“I’ve seen a lot of things," Deschamps said, as quoted by Reuters.

“I have prepared the players. The players were expecting this game. I do not want to criticise Paraguay. Each team plays the way they want. But there were some insults from the other bench which I could have done without," he added.

“The most important thing is that by the end of the game, there were no disagreements and that we (did not) get another card," he said.

France booked a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the Round of 16 at Lincoln Financial Field, thanks to Kylian Mbappe’s second-half penalty.

Despite dominating possession, Les Bleus found it difficult to break down Paraguay’s disciplined defence, with the South Americans frustrating Didier Deschamps’ side throughout the opening half.

The match became only the third FIFA World Cup knockout fixture since 1966 to reach halftime without a single shot on target, while tensions flared following a challenge on Mbappe that sparked a mass confrontation.

France finally broke the deadlock in the 66th minute after Desire Doue won a penalty, which Mbappe converted calmly. Paraguay pressed for an equaliser until the final whistle, but France held firm to secure victory and set up a quarterfinal clash with Morocco. (ANI)

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Canada vs Morocco FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16: The 2022 edition surprise semifinalist Morocco book their berth in the last 8 stage of FIFA World Cup 2026 with a dominant 3-0 win over co-hosts Canada at the NRG Stadium in Houston on Saturday. Morocco have become the first-ever African nation to qualify for back-to-back World Cup quarterfinals.

Azzedine Ounahi scored a brace to lead Morocco to a dominant win in the Round of 16 to make the country the first African nation to reach the quarterfinals more than once. “We are no longer a surprise. Now when people talk about Morocco we’re a major contender and it’s a great source of pride. I think it’s only the beginning and I hope we continue to have runs like this,” coach Mohamed Ouahbi was quoted as saying by AP news agency.

“We want to keep going. We don’t want to stop,” the Moroccan coach added. Morocco will now go up against 2022 edition runners-up France in the quarterfinal clash at the Gillette Stadium in Boston on Thursday.

-1 – The first half of Canada vs. Morocco featured fewer shots (5) than yellow cards (6), the first time that’s happened in the first half of a FIFA World Cup match on record (since 1966).

Chippy. pic.twitter.com/lQ0ZNZTlK9

— OptaJack (@OptaJack) July 4, 2026

It will be Morocco’s second straight appearance in the last 8 stages after becoming the first African team to reach the semifinals in 2022. “We are so proud to represent Africa because it’s a continent with a lot of talent and Africa deserves to be in the best level in football,” goalkeeper Yassine Bounou said.

After playing out a stalemate in the first half, Morocco finally broke through with Ounahi taking a free kick from Achraf Hakimi and made a right-footed shot through traffic from outside the box to the bottom right corner to put Morocco on top 1-0 in the 50th minute.

Ounahi made it 2-0 on a right-footed shot from the middle of the box off a pass from Brahim Diaz in the 82nd minute. Soufiane Rahimi added the final nail in Canada’s coffin in the final minute of stoppage time.

The loss ended a dream run for World Cup co-hosts Canada, who won their first-ever knockout round game, beating South Africa 1-0 to reach Saturday’s match. The country were taking part in the World Cup for just the third time.

Canada coach Jesse Marsch shared his postgame message to the team. “I told them that I was proud of them and I challenged them to understand that we can play like this all the time against the best teams in the world. We can be better on the day. And then the challenge is, can we hold that standard for 90 minutes?” Marsch was quoted as saying by AP news agency.

Morocco, ranked No. 7 in the FIFA rankings, stunned the Netherlands in a penalty shootout to reach the Round of 16 and send the Dutch to their earliest World Cup exit.

It was, however, an extremely physical match with eight yellow cards being handed out. Both teams received four cards each. Hakimi and Canada’s Richie Laryea received yellow cards in the 40th minute. Hakimi shoved Laryea to the ground and then Laryea pushed him which led to a scuffle between both teams.

Think of the word 3D, and the first thing that comes to most people’s minds is watching a film with 3D glasses or a mathematical concept of three-dimensional space. In India, however, the 3D label has long been attached to a cricketer who recently retired from domestic cricket and the IPL. In his retirement note, he signed off as “Your 3D cricketer”.

A man of few words, Vijay Shankar brought his career to a close in some style. Rarely has a cricketer announced his retirement by embracing a nickname that, by his own admission, had once haunted him. That same 3D label followed the seam-bowling all-rounder throughout much of his international career.

After Shankar was dropped from the Indian team and struggled to find his way back, he became the target of relentless trolling on social media, with the 3D reference repeatedly used to mock him.

“It was there when I experienced all those things, but now, when I look back, it was a wonderful experience for me and it made me a better person,” Shankar told RevSportz. “I learnt to fight back, make a comeback and keep playing cricket, which is the most important thing for me, regardless of whatever happened on social media. I always felt there would be opportunities. Everyone feels I could’ve got another opportunity, but I am content with my career, representing India and doing well in the World Cup against Pakistan.”

It is pertinent to note that when Shankar was picked ahead of Ambati Rayudu for the 2019 World Cup, then chief selector MSK Prasad justified the decision by saying that Shankar brought “three dimensions” to the side. A frustrated Rayudu responded by tweeting: “Just ordered a new set of 3D glasses to watch the World Cup.”

At the time, many people sympathised with Rayudu. But it was Shankar who ultimately bore the brunt of criticism from a section of fans.

As beneficial as social media can be, it has repeatedly shown how toxic it can also become. It does not matter how much an individual tries to ignore it; the abuse leaves an impact in one way or another. After all, cricketers are human beings too.

Shankar fought through the trolling and has emerged a stronger person. Having closed one chapter of his career, the Tamil Nadu cricketer is now looking forward to the next, which begins with the Lanka Premier League—one of the fastest-growing T20 leagues in the world.

“After my retirement, the LPL is the first tournament coming up,” he said. “I just want to start by playing in the Lanka Premier League. With so many international players taking part, I think it will be a great learning experience for me. I’ve played a lot in the IPL, but going overseas to play franchise cricket will be a different experience.”

Shankar has made it clear that he will explore more opportunities in franchise cricket. He also has one eye on coaching in the future. And, given the way he expresses himself, he could well make a fine commentator. All in all, Vijay Shankar remains a true 3D asset.

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