France stronger for physical Paraguay test, insists assistant coach Guy Stephan

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/france/QkGeVG1n/"]France[/a] romped ‌into the second knockout round but had to scrap their way past a rugged [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/paraguay/YaNlqp6j/"]Paraguay[/a] ‌side with very little protection from the match officials in Philadelphia ‌on Saturday to get into the last eight.[/p][p]Stephan confirmed that the French federation had ‌appealed against key forward [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/olise-michael/E5pvwqkK/"]Michael Olise[/a]'s yellow card, one of three ‌shown to French players during the clash to one for the Paraguayans.[/p][p]"[b]I think that playing a match like that at this stage of the tournament was fruitful for us, ‌because it gives answers about what the players are ⁠capable of in the face of ‌that kind of adversity[/b]," he told reporters on Monday.[/p][p]"[b]It was a day when ​it would have been easy to lose control, and nobody lost control. So that is still proof of maturity, even if they ​are young players[/b].[/p][p]"[b]It was a hard match, physically and mentally draining. Now we've moved on[/b]," he added.[/p][h2]Genuine class[/h2][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/morocco/IDKYO3R8/"]Morocco[/a] will be aiming to reach the semi-finals ⁠for the second straight ​World Cup [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/france-QkGeVG1n/morocco-IDKYO3R8/?mid=jJ5yWPhU"]in Boston on Thursday[/a] and Stephan said there was no doubt they were a team with genuine class.[/p][p]"[b]It will be a completely different kind of opposition from what we just had[/b]," he said.[/p][p]"[b]It's a well-organised, well-structured team, ‌a team with a certain solidity, and above all a team that is very good in transition that has scored a lot of goals ...[/b][/p][p]"[b]They also have individual strengths, whether on the right side or the left side ... It's undeniably a quality team[/b]."[/p][image alt="Win probability" id="5e00b661-c634-4865-bc8f-1e909dd39664" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="8daf0fbc-336a-42a3-aeef-76c2ed1eaf65" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]Stephan said forward [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/thuram-marcus/hMMX02Fm/"]Marcus Thuram[/a], who missed France's last two matches with a calf issue, would return to training on Monday but midfielder [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tchouameni-aurelien/QkiZum3e/"]Aurelien Tchouameni[/a] was still struggling with an adductor injury he sustained before the Paraguay match.[/p][p]"[b]We'll see each day whether his injury is ‌healing or not[/b]," said the 69-year-old, who has been the right-hand man of ​coach Didier Deschamps since 2009.[/p][p]"[b]We are a bit pressed for time, ‌it's true, because the match is on Thursday, but he is continuing his individual work today and tomorrow[/b]."[/p][p]Stephan, who took charge of the team for the third group match when Deschamps returned to France following the death of his mother, gave a succinct response to the ⁠racist tirade aimed at striker [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mbappe-kylian/Wn6E2SED/"]Kylian ⁠Mbappe[/a] by a Paraguayan senator.[/p][p]"[b]In ‌three words[/b]," he said. "[b]It's disgraceful, vile, outrageous[/b]."[/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /]