Doué: Scoring early will be important against Paraguay

French forward Désiré Doué believes scoring an early goal will be crucial for his team in their World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match against Paraguay.

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It will be important to score against Paraguay as soon as possible.

Doué described Paraguay as a team that plays with significant intensity and possesses quality players both offensively and defensively, making them a difficult opponent to break down. "Defensively they are very tough," he noted during a press conference in Philadelphia.

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Paraguay is a team that plays with a lot of intensity, that has quality players in attack and defense, and that will be very difficult to beat. Defensively they are very tough.

To overcome Paraguay's strong defense, Doué emphasized the need for patience while maintaining France's characteristic intensity. "We need to create as many chances as possible and be very, very effective. In these types of matches, it is important to score as soon as possible and as many goals as possible," he stated.

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We need to create as many chances as possible and be very, very effective. In these types of matches, it is important to score as soon as possible and as many goals as possible.

Reflecting on France's status as favorites, Doué cautioned that this alone will not secure a win. He stressed the importance of a serious and committed performance from the opening whistle. "It will not be the favorite status that will make us win against Paraguay. We will have to bring all the ingredients from the beginning to the end of the match, be very serious, very committed, because we know that they are a team with a lot of quality," he said.

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It will not be the favorite status that will make us win against Paraguay. We will have to bring all the ingredients from the beginning to the end of the match, be very serious, very committed, because we know that they are a team with a lot of quality.