Mbappé snubs Gill after France-Paraguay, goalkeeper throws ball at his back

France qualified for the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals by beating Paraguay 1-0, but it was a post-match clash that caught attention. At the final whistle, Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill attempted to congratulate Kylian Mbappé, who completely ignored him. Annoyed, Gill then threw a ball at the back of the French captain, who did not react.

The match had been particularly rough. Paraguayan players were very aggressive in the challenges, and the referee often let play continue, raising tension on the pitch. Didier Deschamps even feared, in the final minutes, that Mbappé might lose his composure in the face of opposing provocations.

In the mixed zone, Orlando Gill gave his account of events bluntly. “I wanted to shake his hand but since he ignored me, it got to me. But I quickly calmed down. I have nothing but congratulations for them. France is having an excellent World Cup and they are title contenders,” he said.

Mbappé, for his part, seemed to have quickly moved on. “That’s their football, that’s their way of playing. There’s no good or bad way to play football. There’s only one way, and that’s to win. They tried to get us that way but we got them that way too. Now we move to the next stage, we need to recover and focus on Morocco,” the Real Madrid player said.

The Blues, qualified for the quarter-finals, will face Morocco in the next round of the World Cup.