Moscow: An incredible 80th-minute strike by midfielder Paul Pogba ensured 2-1 victory for France over Australia in the nail-biting opening clash of the ongoing 21st edition of the FIFA World Cup at the Kazan Arena here on Saturday.
As per the expectations, France started the first few minutes controlling possession, and in less than two minutes, Kylian Mbappe had got a great chance to score a goal, but eventually, it went for a corner.
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The Didier Deschamps-led side finally made the breakthrough first when Antoine Griezmann took one step and buried the penalty in the right-side netting past a flat-footed Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan in the 58th minute of the match.
Just three minutes later, Australian captain Mile Jedinak stepped up and coolly converted the penalty corner into the goal to level the score 1-1.
After the equalizer, both sides became much more physical as they anxiously searched for the winner.
While Australia failed to convert the free-kick which was awarded to them after the 75th minute of the match, France who replaced Griezmann with Olivier Giroud were searching for opportunities with no avail.
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However, Paul Pogba eventually managed to snatch the late winner for France when he smashed his 10th international goal in the 80th minute to put the French side in lead again.
With the win, France managed to secure three points in the Group C opener.
While France will now take on Peru, Australia will lock horns with Denmark in their next FIFA World Cup clash.
(With ANI Inputs)