Man, what do you know! I was chilling at Fane's, with a beer and a steak, watching the France vs. Paraguay match. I was like, what the hell, France, world champions, playing Paraguay, who haven't been to the World Cup in 16 years. Well, bro, it's gonna be an easy 3-0, I told myself. And just like that, I found myself crying with frustration at halftime, because Paraguay was defending like a handball team and wouldn't give up the ball. Seriously, the first half was boring as hell. Dembélé crossed in the 11th minute, Barcola didn't reach it, and that was it. That's all. Then, in the 35th minute, the players started arguing, like they were in Berceni at the bread line, but the ref broke it up. And Koné, what kind of footballer name is that, sounds like a washing machine, took a shot in the 23rd minute, but it went wide. So we got to halftime, 0-0, with me halfway through my beer but no goals.
In the second half, Koné again, poor guy, tried in the 54th minute, but the Paraguayan keeper saved it for a corner. And then, in the 66th minute, in comes Désiré Doué, who had just come on, and what do you know? He enters the box, trips over Diego Gómez's foot... and the ref, an Uzbek named Ilgiz Tantaşev, didn't call anything at first. But then VAR, which usually screws us over at Steaua, this time told him, 'Hey, go look at the monitor.' And he went, looked, and gave a penalty. And then Kylian Mbappe, that guy who's slicker than all the second-division footballers, converted it without breaking a sweat. And just like that, 1-0 for France, and that's it, game over. Bro, what a struggle! And now, check the stats: Mbappe reached 19 goals at World Cups, and 7 in this tournament, tying Messi in the scoring charts. And look at that, Messi's at Inter Miami, Mbappe's at Real Madrid, and he's still the hero.
But let's see who Paraguay is, because you wouldn't expect it. Paraguay, one of the big surprises of this edition, finished 3rd in Group D with four points: 1-4 vs USA, 1-0 vs Turkey, and 0-0 vs Australia. Then, in the Round of 16, they beat Germany, 1-1 after 90 and 120 minutes, and 4-3 on penalties. That means they eliminated Germany, bro! Germany, the team we dream about! And now, Paraguay, who hadn't been to the World Cup since 2010, and back then they reached the quarterfinals, now they almost did it again. Their coach is Gustavo Alfaro, an Argentine who got them through qualifiers after they finished 6th in South America with 28 points from 18 matches. And look at this: their last official competition was the 2024 Copa America, where they finished 4th in Group D with three losses. And yet, today they held their own against France. Good for them, but it wasn't enough.
And France, what can I say, finished 1st in Group I with nine points: 3-1 vs Senegal, 3-0 vs Iraq, and 4-1 vs Norway. Then, in the Round of 16, they beat Sweden 3-0. Coach Didier Deschamps, that guy who's been around since Ceaușescu's time, it seems like he's still there, led France to their 16th World Cup appearance, eighth consecutive, and they won the title in 1998 and 2018. And now, in the quarterfinals, they face Morocco. Morocco, bro! The team that beat us at some point. And in the semifinals, if they get through, they play the winner of Portugal/Spain vs USA/Belgium. That's a match to look forward to. And look, Superbet offers odds of 1.20 for France to win in 90 minutes, but I'm not betting anymore, because I got burned with Mioara when I lost Ioana's allowance on a ticket.
And now, off the field, check this out. Maria Iordănescu, former TV host and daughter of Anghel Iordănescu, set the internet on fire with a photoshoot at the 'Arcul de Triumf' stadium and a message of support for France. On her official Facebook page, she posted several photos and wrote: 'Ninety minutes that make millions of hearts beat in the same rhythm. An entire country breathing in unison, hoping together, believing together. This is never just football. It's one of those rare moments when emotion belongs to everyone. (...) So tonight we wear blue. For France and for every European team still chasing their dream. Zidane's France became the symbol of a generation; the current one carries the same spark, waiting to write its own story. Team Europe. Allez les Bleus. Who are you rooting for tonight?' And I say, good for you, Maria, because I was also rooting for France, even though Mioara said I root for anyone with more expensive jerseys. But seriously, bro, what did you see? A football match where France won struggling, but they won. And now, let's see if they take the cup. Because I, for one, won't believe anything until I see it with my own eyes. So, come on, I'm off to tell Brian that Mbappe is better than Ronaldo, and see if I can catch the Morocco match on the terrace.
