France head coach Didier Deschamps defended the captain Kylian Mbappe following the criticism of his leadership style, insisting the public perception of the star forward does not reflect who he really is within the national team setup.Speaking after France’s tense 1-0 win over Paraguay in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, Deschamps dismissed suggestions that Mbappe had become too authoritative since taking over the captaincy.“No, he hasn’t changed. You make him look like a dictator. Kylian has an image for some people out there that doesn’t really correspond to the truth,” Deschamps told reporters after the match.France secured their place in the quarter-finals thanks to Mbappe’s second-half penalty in a fierce battle at Lincoln Financial Field. Despite dominating possession, Les Bleus struggled to break down Paraguay’s disciplined defense in a game with no shots on target from either side before halftime.The match was marked by several flashpoints, including a challenge on Mbappe that sparked a mass confrontation between the players. However, Deschamps said his team was ready for Paraguay’s aggressive approach and handled the situation well.“I saw a lot of things,” said Deschamps.“I prepared the players. The players are looking forward to this game. I don’t want to criticize Paraguay. Every team plays the way they want.“The most important thing is that at the end of the game, there were no conflicts and that we (didn’t) get a card,” he said.France finally found the breakthrough in the 66th minute when Desire Doue won a penalty, which Mbappe calmly converted. Paraguay pushed for an equalizer late on, but France held firm to book a quarter-final clash against Morocco.