Referee under fire as France advances past Paraguay in Round of 16

Patrick Ittrich labelled the officiating in the World Cup round‑of‑16 clash between France and Paraguay as the tournament’s worst performance, saying referee Ilgiz Tantashev of Uzbekistan was overwhelmed. France secured the win, but the referee’s handling of fouls dominated post‑match discussion. France battled past Paraguay to secure a round‑of‑16 victory, a result that kept their World Cup hopes alive. Speaking on Magenta TV, Patrick Ittrich described Ilgiz Tantashev’s performance as overwhelmed, noting the Uzbek official struggled to control the game. Paraguay committed 13 fouls yet finished the match without a single booking, a disparity highlighted by data from The Athletic. By contrast, France’s Barcola, Koné and Olise each received yellow cards, and assistant coach González only saw a yellow for dissent after the final whistle.

France scrape past Paraguay, exposing cracks before Morocco clash

Opta records show this was the first occasion since the 1998 World Cup match against Nigeria that Paraguay escaped any card. Ittrich repeated on Magenta TV, “That’s unbelievable,” adding he had been shaking his head throughout the game. Rayan Cherki expressed disbelief, saying, “I didn’t know Paraguay could commit 30 fouls without getting a yellow card.” Kylian Mbappé later insisted his side would not shy away from physical play, warning opponents that “we also know how to play dirty football.”

France survive Paraguay's guile in humid Philadelphia, await Morocco

With France advancing, Morocco will likely be on alert ahead of their quarter‑final encounter. The article was translated into English by artificial intelligence, with the original version available in German.