France superstar Pogba was surprisingly replaced by Anthony Martial on 77 minutes.
France’s Paul Pogba in action
France star Paul Pogba has told Sky Sports Italia that he agreed with Didier Deschamps’ decision to replace him with 10 minutes to go last night.
Pogba was replaced by Manchester United winger Anthony Martial after just 77 minutes, and looked bemused when he saw his number being held up by the fourth official.
Pogba left the field with France still chasing a winner with the scores locked at 1-1, after Stancu’s penalty cancelled out Olivier Giroud’s second half opener.
Pogba congratulates Giroud on his opener
But the highly coveted Juventus playmaker has backed his manager’s decision, helped no doubt by the fact that the team went on to win the game.
“We knew it was going to be a difficult match,” Pogba told Sky Sport Italia.
“We did very well in the opening 15 minutes, then scored a fantastic goal at the end for the victory. We are all very happy.”
Martial replaced Pogba in the 77th minute
“The starting XI never end up finishing the game together, so substitutions are very important. We did well and those who came on gave us the energy we needed.”
West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet stole the show last night with a scintillating winner, blasting the ball him with his supposedly weaker left foot from at least 25 yards out.
France’s Dimitri Payet celebrates after scoring their winning goal with Olivier Giroud
It was a goal that will no doubt rival any that we will see at this summer’s tournament, one that capped off a stellar performance from the Reunion-born midfielder.
The Hammers man more than merited his selection over Martial, and he looks set to go on to play a key role for France in the rest of the competition.
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