ROME (ITALPRESS) – “It was a different kind of challenge for the French team,” said Zlatan Ibrahimovic, after watching the struggle with Les Bleus to break down the Paraguayan defense in the World Cup round of 16. The former Swedish national team striker, a commentator for Fox Sports, said the main challenge was avoiding the trap set by Gustavo Alfaro’s men: “It was mainly about not letting ourselves be provoked, staying calm, not falling into their trap,” admitted AC Milan’s senior advisor.

For much of the match, Paraguay applied constant physical pressure, bordering on unsportsmanlike conduct and, at times, even unfair play. It was an approach Ibrahimovic, he said, he wouldn’t have tolerated as a player: “I would have definitely received four red cards in this match. And maybe a few more… I like playing real matches,” he emphasized. The former AC Milan striker finally focused on Deschamps’s men’s qualification: “France showed calm, they did what they had to do. They responded with a smile, scored a goal, and celebrated: that’s the best way to react.”

-Photo IPA Agency-
(ITALPRESS).

Source: medNews