France held to draw by Paraguay in World Cup warm-up
Paris, 15 May 2025
France struggled to break down Paraguay as the two sides played out a 1-1 draw in their second World Cup warm-up match on Wednesday evening.
Following a convincing 4-0 win over Norway in their previous friendly, the French team found the contest much tougher against a resilient Paraguayan side.
It took until the 82nd minute for France to finally take the lead through Antoine Griezmann, whose strike looked set to secure victory for Les Bleus.
However, Paraguay responded late on when Victor Cáceres rose unmarked on the penalty spot to deliver a diving header that leveled the score in the 89th minute, much to the disappointment of the home crowd.
Notably absent from the matchday squad was Franck Ribéry. Rumours circulated during the day suggesting the Bayern Munich winger might withdraw from the World Cup squad due to persistent back pain. However, France Football has strongly denied these claims.
“The French team’s technical staff has not made any decision regarding Franck Ribéry other than to get him back on his feet,” the publication reported. Ribéry has been managing chronic lower back pain for seven weeks, but remains part of the squad’s plans ahead of the tournament.
The draw leaves France with questions to answer as they continue preparations for the World Cup in Brazil, with both attack and defence needing to tighten up before the competition kicks off.
