France vs Australia: 4 things we learned

France had to really work for it, but Les Bleus managed to earn a 2-1 win over Australia in their group stage encounter at Kazan Arena on Saturday afternoon. Still, there are major concerns about Didier Deschamps’s side as this tournament progresses, as they looked far from solid, whilst Australia, despite their loss shouldn’t be counted out entirely.

So what did we take away from both sides’ group stage opener? Let’s have a look.

1. Don’t discount Australia

Although they lost, the Socceroos played admirably and held their own for large spells of the game. Even after going down to a penalty, Australia showed great fortitude to respond when given a spot-kick of their own and kept the score-line respectable. Yes, they will have to face Peru and Denmark next, but France are this quartet’s heavyweights, and if Australia can put on the same kind of performance – and of course grab a goal or two – they very well could book a spot in the round of 16.

2. Paul Pogba still hasn’t shaken off his funk

Yes, he netted the game winners seemingly out of nowhere, but for most of the game, one could be forgiven for not even thinking that Pogba was on the pitch. The France star has received plenty of criticism from fans, some of whom booed him for walking during a friendly, and the pressure will be on to have a good World Cup. He’s had a frustrating time at Manchester United and appears to be a shadow of the player who ruled the roost during his time at Juventus. There are plenty of rumors, naturally, that he could be on the move, but he needs to snap out of that funk if he wants to earn himself a choice move away from Old Trafford.

Still, he managed to save the day for France, which will do wonders for his confidence. Hopefully, he’ll be able to build on that as fans all know what Pogba is capable of when having a great day at the office.

3. VAR making its debut – and so far so good

VAR played a role in determining France’s penalty, which Antoine Griezmann converted without much fuss. It’s the first ever penalty decided by VAR, and it proved to be a vital assistant for the ref. Were it not for this, it’s highly unlikely that France would have received the correct call, and one can only think back to numerous occasions at prior tournaments that would have turned out differently if VAR had been available.

4. No signs of stage fright for Kylian Mbappe

The second youngest player at this summer’s tournament, Mbappe showed no signs of stage fright as he took part in his first ever World Cup. Then again, one shouldn’t be surprised, as he has quickly evolved into one of the best young talents in the game, and showed flashes of that brilliance against a stubborn Australian defense. He might not have scored, but he certainly caused them quite a lot of worry and he’ll definitely be rewarded for his efforts with a debut goal if he can continue in this vein of form.