Joe Hart notices ‘unfair’ move by Paraguay player that the referee didn’t see during the France game.
Joe Hart noticed what he called a ‘disgusting’ move by a Paraguay player during their 1-0 loss to France in the World Cup round of 16. Kylian Mbappe scored a penalty in the 70th minute in Philadelphia, sending France to the quarter-finals where they’ll face Morocco, who reached the semis in 2022.
Paraguay’s plan was to interrupt France’s game with tough physical play, but they crossed the line several times. Mbappe was targeted, getting kicked in the shin by Paraguay defender Junior Alonso while he was on the ground in the second half. Although things got tense, the French players stayed calm and celebrated with their fans after the match.
Paraguay committed 13 fouls, yet the referee, Ilgiz Tantashev, didn’t give any yellow cards. Hart, a former Manchester City and England goalkeeper and now a BBC Sport pundit, found that “astonishing.” He pointed out one especially bad moment by Paraguay’s Gustavo Velazquez, who damaged the penalty spot just before Mbappe took his penalty. The referee didn’t see it because he was talking to other players.
VAR can’t punish this kind of thing by giving yellow cards, so Velazquez got away with it. Hart said, “Honestly, if I were Gill, Paraguay’s goalkeeper, I’d be furious with my own player for that. That’s not how you should play. Disgusting. I’m so glad Mbappe kept his cool and scored.”
Hart added, “I love how Mbappe behaved. Paraguay’s players were on him from the start, but when he laughed at them, that was ok—it’s part of his charm. Paraguay’s team was really disappointing. If they were on my team, I’d be pulling them off the field.”
Hart also said, “I would never want to win or play like that. The referee certainly didn’t help. Not one Paraguayan got booked in 90 minutes—that’s unbelievable. You can play beautiful football and still work hard to win, like France did tonight.”
In the BBC studio, former Aston Villa and Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger agreed with Hart, calling Paraguay’s behavior “bad sportsmanship.” He said, “Coming at the penalty spot like that was the last straw. We all admire Mbappe for what he does on the field. Paraguay went too far. They played to their strengths, but they got away with these things because the referee never stopped it.”
Hitzlsperger continued, “When the first yellow card went to France’s Barcola, Paraguay probably thought, ‘This is our night, we can keep going and the ref will protect us.’ So they just kept doing it.”