Though it is the stardust moment which World Cup winners are always remembered for, it takes something more prosaic and less glittering to lift the greatest trophy of all: the intelligence, in an era when almost every international defence can do its job well, to know where the fault-lines lie and how to pick a route through to goal.
In the final reckoning, France located one, though there was something appropriate about it being a deflected effort, just nine minutes from time. Paul Pogba gave and took back balls from substitute Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappe before clipping the ball which looped in off the underside of the crossbar to score a goal which – on an afternoon of huge reputational gain for video technology – was awarded because of a goal-line camera.
Yet it was 90 minutes of struggle which asked profound questions of the tactical intelligence of Didier Deschamps and his side. They laboured far more than they should have.
Paul Pogba strikes a muted figure despite scoring the winning goal in France’s World Cup opener against Australia
The Manchester United midfielder lifted the ball over goalkeeper Matt Ryan to give France a 2-1 lead in the 80th minute
It was a cruel blow for the Aussies as Ryan scrambles to stop the ball which bounces over the line off the crossbar
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) stole the headlines though after being used to award two penalties in Kazan
The first came when Antoine Griezmann was brought down under the challenge of Aussie defender Joshua Risdon
The Atletico Madrid forward sits on the floor as the French players appeal for the penalty to be awarded
The Uruguayan referee Andres Cunha opted to consult the VAR system before awarding a soft penalty to France
France talisman Griezmann slots the ball away from the spot to give his country the lead in Kazan on Saturday
Aussie captain Mile Jedinak steps up to stroke the ball home after his side were awarded the second penalty of the game
The second VAR decision was made after Samuel Umtiti clearly handled the ball during an Australian set-piece
It is a bitter blow for the Socceroos who fought bravely at the Kazan Arena but left empty handed
It took only five minutes to render the pre-match inquisition about the inexperience of a French squad with 14 players who have no international tournament experience an utter irrelevance. Deschamps’ players bathed in a brilliant sunshine and looked incredibly connected in the opening moments. Three shots on goal in the opening five minutes of their World Cup campaign telegraphed a serious level of intent.
Kylian Mbappe kills defenders in such an elementary way, with those bursts of pace he has, and Mark Milligan was chasing his shadow in the second minute. The striker raced inside him to deliver a first time shot that keeper Matthew Ryan palmed around his left hand post. Pogba whipped a free kick that Ryan collected at head height, and then Mbappe, providing a sense across the course of these 90 minutes that he can take this tournament by the throat, was backheeling the ball 15 yards wide to Ousmane Dembele, whose ball for Antoine Griezmann had Ryan leaping to save again to his left.
It was freewheeling stuff in those early moments, with the front three looking terrifying and both Mbappe and Dembele operating with the impudence of youth, spinning the ball off in random directions.
But when the Australians found a level and began to repel the incursions, France laboured for answers. Beyond the rapier front line pace, they could not throttle the world’s 36th ranked nation. They allowed them space on the ball. Their two defensive midfielders – one more than they needed – just did not race forward in the way that world champions do. There was 15 yards between the attacking and midfield flanks. It helped that Pogba was too inclined to choose the complicated, showboaters’ option at times.
A sea of green and gold is seen in the stands of the Kazan Arena as the Australian supporters pray for an upset
Australia and Brighton goalkeeper Ryan is called into action early on but is up to the task to make a tidy save
Teenage France striker Kylian Mbappe gives chase in the first half as he carries the weight of a nation on his shoulders
Ousmane Dembele has one of the many early French opportunities as Australia skipper Mile Jedinak looks to put him off
Aussie defender Trent Sainsbury looks to latch on to a deflection from Corentin Tolisso but he can’t quite reach it
Tottenham and France captain Hugo Lloris gets down well to spare Tolisso’s blushes and keep the score level
Griezmann looks to lead the way as he issues orders to his French compatriots at the Kazan Arena
France boss Didier Deschamps looks on anxiously from the dugout after a nervy start for his favoured side
The France manager exits his seat and approaches the edge of the technical area as he urges his players to improve
Griezmann is played through on goal with a lofted pass but he fails to bring it under control and the chance is lost
Hernandez lets out his frustration as the French disappoint and go in at half-time with the tie level and goalless
Confidence coursed through Australia when this dawned on them. They sensed that a game plan based on resistance might work and they began to enjoy possession. They were inches from finding the net when Aaron Mooy’s lofted free-kick from the left deflected off the top of Mathew Leckie’s head, disorientated Corentin Tolisso who diverted it goalwards, forcing Hugo Lloris into a fingertip save around his left post.
When the French breakthrough came just after the break, you wondered where Australia had left to go. Kante must take most of the acclaim for it, dispossessing Mooy, spinning off him and pressing the ball forward to Pogba, whose onward ball sent Griezmann racing in on Ryan. The retreating Joshua Risdon seemed to have escaped with a high-risk slide in on the striker, which put the ball out of his control. But VAR scored some huge early points in this tournament – revealing to referee Andres Cunha that the Australian had found no connection with the ball and brought the forward down as he followed through on the challenge.
Griezmann stepped up to convert the spot-kick, yet the Australians were level within four minutes when Samuel Umtiti unfathomably closed his eyes and raised his arm, committing a blatant handball as a Mooy free-kick sailed over the French box.
The final twist delivered a win about which Australian can have few complaints, given France’s obvious technical superiority. Yet nothing but a win in this game was ever acceptable for France. The tougher challenges that lie ahead will require a great deal more intelligence.
Forward Olivier Giroud watches on from the bench with a bandage on his head suffered in France’s final warm-up game
Presnel Kimpembe was flying the French flag in a different way from the bench with his special edition adidas boots
Referee Cunha stuns the Kazan Arena as he awards France a controversial penalty despite consulting VAR
Uruguayan Cunha reviews the challenge on Griezmann with the VAR team before eventually awarding the spot kick
Griezmann celebrates with Dembele after successfully converting from the penalty spot to give France a 1-0 lead
Griezmann salutes the French supporters who had made the long journey to Russia to support their nation this summer
Robbie Kruse and Sainsbury surround the referee to appeal for an Australian penalty in the second half
Mile Jedinak roars after converting from the penalty spot to bring Australia level with France at the Kazan Arena on Saturday
Jedinak converts from the spot to level the tie for the under-rated Socceroos in Kazan four minutes after Griezmann’s opener
Pogba is surrounded by surrounded by his France team-mates after scoring the eventual matchwinner
His fortunate lob over Ryan left the goalkeeper stranded before the ball bounced in off the crossbar
The entire Australian squad show their unity despite their disappointing defeat as they huddle after the full-time whistle