Paul Pogba scores as France beat Australia 2-1 in their Group C opener
- France got off to a winning start in their 2018 World Cup campaign in Russia
- Les Blues defeated Australia 2-1 with goals from Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba
- Meanwhile, this victory means they are top of the table pending the game betweet Peru and Denmark
- France will battle Peru in their next game while Australia and Denmark on Thursday, June 21
France kicked off their campaign for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia on a winning note after beating Australia 2-1 at the Kazan Arena.
Atletico Madrid superstar Antoine Griezmann opened scoring for Les Blues in the 58th minute after winning a penalty for his side a moment before his goal.
The 27-year-old forward was tripped by Joshua Risdon in the 18-yard box - which earned him a yellow card from the from the Uruguayan referee Andres Cunha.
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And Griezmann stepped up to carefully put the ball behind the net as the 1998 took the lead early in the second half of the game.
Both sides endured a rather boring and goalless first half as they were unable to thread passes successfully.
Australia got their equaliser in the 62nd minute as Mile Jedinak converted a spot kick to gift his side a lifeline in the game.
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With the game back in a stalemate, France boss Didier Deschamps made two quick substitutions to add bite into his game.
He introduced the duo of Olivier Giroud and Nabil Fekir in the 70th minute to replace Antoine Griezmann as they continue to search for the winner.
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Corentin Tolisso also paved way for Blaise Matuidi to complete the French team's final substitution for the game, and just two minutes later, Paul Pogba got the winner for the team.
Although the referee had to rely on the assistant of the Video Assistant Referee to decide the authenticate Pogba's goal.
Earlier in the second half, Australia coach Bert van Marwijk made his first change in the game in the 64th minute as Tomi Juric comies in for Andrew Nabbout, while Tom Rogic made way for Jackson Irvine six minutes later.
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However, with this result, France moves to the summit of Group C table after their 2-1 win over the Australians pending the result of the second group game between Peru and Denmark.
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Super Eagles of Nigeria will be taking on Croatia in their first Group D match.
Both teams have never met in a World Cup tournament or an international engagement but it promises to be an entertaining affair.
The three time African champions had an impressive run during the qualifiers and made it through at the expense of Zambia, Cameroon, and Algeria.
How Super Eagles qualified for the Russia 2018 World Cup - on Legit.ng TV
Source: Legit.ng
