28 June 2013
France succeeded in qualifying for the Under 20 World Cup last 16 earlier this evening despite suffering a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Spain.
After receiving yellow cards in each of the first two matches, French captain Paul Pogba was forced to sit out today’s encounter. Spain were well on the front foot for most of the 90 minutes and had found the back of the net twice before the hour mark to all but guarantee victory and top spot in Group A.
Thibaut Vion did manage to pull one back in stoppage time but in the end Les Bleus had to rely on the USA’s decisive 4-1 loss to Ghana in order to secure progression to the next round.
Pogba and his teammates can now turn their attentions toward the knockout phase, where they will face the winner of Group C (Colombia, Turkey, El Salvador or Australia) on Tuesday 2 July.
