PHILADELPHIA, July 4 : France arrived in Philadelphia with the swagger of World Cup heavyweights and left looking like they had spent the afternoon wrestling a cactus, grinding out a narrow victory over Paraguay in sweltering conditions. Their win was less a showcase of French elegance than a survival exercise, with Kylian Mbappe’s penalty finally settling an ill-tempered contest that Paraguay had dragged into their preferred territory of physical confrontation and tactical disruption. Paraguay offered something France rarely face: tight man-marking, bodies around the wingers and just enough fouls, fussing and provocation to make the favourites twitch. It almost worked. Rarely do Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise look so short of rhythm. France are used to facing zonal blocks, rehearsed pressing traps and neat defensive lines. Paraguay instead turned the match into a series of physical personal duels, doubling up wide and denying the French attackers the time and angles they usually bend to their will. The first half told the story, with France failing to create a clear-cut chance before the break. Paraguay …