Bradley Barcola, the 23-year-old Paris Saint-Germain and France forward, spoke in the mixed zone following the 1–0 victory over Paraguay on Saturday night in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16. He reflected on a very challenging match and the impact of Désiré Doué (the 21-year-old PSG and Les Bleus midfielder/forward) coming off the bench.
Barcola: “I couldn’t afford to get drawn into that kind of game.”
I’d never played a match like that before—with so many knocks, cheap shots, and shoves in the back. It was tough, but we won. So, we’re going to enjoy it.
The Paraguayans didn’t pick up any cards, yet you got a yellow quite early on?
It was difficult because I had to be careful when defending after that. I couldn’t retaliate against the hits I was taking; I couldn’t afford to get drawn into that kind of game. In any case, it was a good experience.
Barcola: “I’m really happy for him and very proud of him.”
Doué’s strong performance off the bench?
He made a great impact when he came on. He brought his technical quality, and it was thanks to him that we won that penalty. So, I’m really happy for him and very proud of him. “I knew he would inject some energy into the game. That’s exactly what he did.”
It is fair enough to approach a match with a defensive mindset and play physically in duels, but Paraguay really took that to the extreme. This was compounded by a referee who was lenient with fouls, leaving the Paraguayans feeling relatively unconcerned about the risk of a red card. It was a shame for the spectacle, though their strategy very nearly paid off.
Fortunately, Les Bleus eventually won a penalty thanks to a dazzling piece of skill from Doué—a moment that served as a reminder, for anyone who still doubted it, that he is a top-tier player. It is great news for the French team to have such a wealth of talent at its disposal. As Barcola pointed out, this match will also serve as a valuable learning experience; they have gained important insight and identified areas for improvement when it comes to breaking down a low defensive block.
Now, the focus shifts to Thursday’s quarter-final against Morocco at 10 p.m. Here’s hoping for a slightly more spectacular match.
