Goals from Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba helped France beat Australia 2-1 at the Kazan Arena in Russia on Saturday at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Griezmann dispatched a penalty—awarded via the video assistant referee (VAR)—in the 58th minute to give Les Bleus the lead, though Mile Jedinak equalised from the spot just four minutes later after a handball from Samuel Umtiti.
Paul Pogba struck the winner in the 81st minute when his half-volley sneaked in off the crossbar.
France Are Less Than the Sum of Their Parts, and That Will Cost Them
For the first 10 minutes of this match, France looked as though they might run away with the game and perhaps the tournament itself, as they overwhelmed Australia with a composure and intent that led to several promising efforts on goal from Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe.
However, that quickly came to an end once the Socceroos found their feet, and France reverted to type. Despite their almost unrivalled amount of talent, when wearing their country's shirt, Didier Deschamps' players often struggle to produce what they are capable of.
They demonstrated as much in qualifying by scoring a fairly meagre 18 goals, and after their early flourish, they failed to trouble Australia for much of the contest, lacking rhythm and penetration.
Football writers Andrew Gibney, Sam Tighe and Chris Winterburn noted the UEFA Euro 2016 finalists' issues:
France's talent will be enough to get them through their group and may even carry them to the quarter-finals, but their lack of cohesion is a big problem and one that may be difficult to resolve before the end of the tournament.
If they can't, getting past another top side at the business end of the competition looks beyond them.
VAR Does Not Eliminate Controversy—It Only Enhances It
VAR has not had the smoothest introduction into top-level football. Even after its use in Serie A and the Bundesliga last season, as well as cup competitions in England, this World Cup felt too early for it to be successfully deployed on the international stage.
It has the potential to be a major positive in the game if implemented correctly, but one thing is clear: At this stage, VAR is a source of controversy rather than a tool for eliminating it.
Josh Risdon's last-ditch tackle on Griezmann when he burst into the area initially looked to be a superb challenge, but after getting a touch on the ball, his momentum carried him into the France striker.
Ian McCullough of the Australian Associated Press and sports broadcaster Ian Abrahams felt the wrong decision was made following the video review:
By contrast, Soccer Laduma's Joe Crann thought it was a penalty, while sports writer Jonas Giaever praised VAR's implementation:
With such marginal decisions, there will always be those on both sides of the argument, so VAR won't put an end to the debates—if anything, it will only add another element to them.
Australia's Organisation, Tenacity Gives Hope of Reaching Knockout Phase
While Australia may have come away from the game with nothing, they shouldn't be written off in terms of making it out of the group.
The Socceroos rode their luck early on as France flew out of the traps, but after they settled into the game, they were organised, tenacious and Les Bleus struggled to cause them problems.
Football Weekly's Max Rushden noted the contrast between the two sides:
Australia were well worth their equaliser after Umtiti inexplicably handled the ball above his head just minutes after France took the lead, and the Mirror's Darren Lewis believes Peru and Denmark will be wary of the Socceroos after Saturday's showing:
Getting out of the group will be no mean feat, but if they can put in a similar performance in their two remaining games, they could spring a few surprises.
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