Antoine
Griezmann scored the first penalty given by VAR in World Cup history as France
edged past Australia 2-1 in their Group C opener.
France were a long way from their best at the Kazan
Arena, with their heralded attacking trio of Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and
Ousmane Dembele failing to ignite against a dogged Australian outfit.
After a disjointed first half, the game sparked into
life shortly after the interval as referee Andres Cunha awarded a penalty to
France after consulting VAR and deciding that Josh Risdon had clipped Griezmann
just inside the area.
The Atletico Madrid striker’s fierce spot-kick was
cancelled out just four minutes later by another penalty, Aston Villa
midfielder Mile Jedinak slotting home after Samuel Umtiti handled in the area.
Didier Deschamps’ side looked to be heading for a
disappointing start to their campaign, but Manchester United midfielder Paul
Pogba saw his deflected effort bounce off the crossbar and narrowly over the
line 10 minutes from time to secure all three points.
France will hope for a more fluid performance
against Peru on Thursday, while Australia will look to get their campaign back
on track when they face Denmark.
No comments:
Post a Comment