France opened their 2018 World Cup campaign and proceedings in Group C against Australia at Kazan Arena.
Paul Pogba celebrates after giving France the lead in the 81st minute. (Photo Credit: FIFA.com)
Les Bleus started the match brightly, coming straight at the Australian defense and putting four shots on Matthew Ryan’s goal, forcing the Aussie keeper to make several saves in the first ten minutes of play.
Australia did well to weather the opening French barrage and found a way to settle into the match. The Socceroo’s combated France’s blistering pace by slowing down the play and passing the ball around their back four, inviting France to come at them to open attacking space.
Mark van Marwijk’s men also fouled the French players anytime that France began to settle into a grooved or find any semblance of rhythm and the strategy worked, keeping France off balance for the remainder of the first half. The French managed just one shot after the opening ten minutes and failed to get a shot on target as Australia frustrated Didier Deschamps team.
At halftime the score was level at zeroes.
France came out re-motivated in the second half showing a willingness to switch the play and exercise greater patience as they looked to break the Socceroo’s down.
In the 56th minute France found the breakthrough they were looking for. Antoine Greizmann looked to be in clear through on Matthew Ryan’s goal when a last gasp Aussie tackle dropped Greizmann inside of the box. The French players were outraged, raising their hands and pleading for a penalty but the referee waived play on. Once the ball went out of play, the assistant referee motioned for the head ref to use video to review the potential penalty against Greizmann. After consulting the video, the referee pointed to the penalty spot and showed a yellow card to Australia’s Joshua Risdon for bringing down the French striker in the box.
Antoine Greizmann stares down Matt Ryan before converting a French penalty kick. (Photo Credit: FIFA.com)
Greizmann stepped up to take the penalty and convincingly fired France into the lead, opening his goal-scoring account in Russia.
Just four minutes after France had nabbed the lead Australia were awarded a penalty kick of their own after Samuel Umtiti handled the ball in the box. Umtiti’s hand was bizarrely raised over his head as an Australian cross came sailing across the box and the referee had an easy call to make as the ball deflected off Umtiti’s raised fist. French fans were left scratching their heads as to why Barcelona’s world class center back would make such an odd mistake. Mile Jedinak stepped up and scored the penalty, sending French keeper Hugo Lloris the wrong way and leveling the match.
Mile Jedinak celebrates after leveling the match from the penalty spot. (Photo Credit: FIFA.com)
Didier Dechamps used his substitutions to bring on Oliver Giroud for Antoine Greizmann in the 70th minute and Blaise Matuidi came on for Corentin Tolisso in the 78th minute.
France began to send greater numbers forward in search of a winner and Paul Pogba delivered in the 81st minute. Pogba did well to latch on to a bouncing through ball at the edge of the box let off a first time shot in the form of an arching dink, over Matt Ryan, off the crossbar and down, over the line for a goal.
Australia threw weary bodies forward in search of a late equalizer, but France calmly and professionally closed out the final nine minutes of regulation and five minutes of stoppage time for the victory.
The win sees France top Group C ahead of Peru and Denmark’s match later in the day, but France was left with a lot of work to do before their next match against Peru on Thursday, June 21st.
Australia face Denmark on June 21st and will hope to claim their first points of the 2018 World Cup.
