World Cup: France down Australia 2-1 in Group C
Kazan, June 16: Midfielder Paul Pogba scored the winning goal for France, who overcame Australia 2-1 in a FIFA World Cup Group C contest here on Saturday.
Pogba's 80th-minute strike, a chip which kissed the cross-bar before moving in, gave France the 2-1 lead after Mile Jedinak's 62nd-minute penalty had cancelled Antoine Griezmann's conversion from the penalty spot four minutes earlier.
France's coach Didier Deschamps depended on a young squad, only three French players were above 25 years old, with Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele as the frontmen at the Kazan Arena.
There were also no surprises in Bert van Marwijk's Australia lineup, which tried to meet France with a classic 4-4-2 plan, staying solid in the rear while waiting for some miracle from star Aussie forward Andrew Nabbout.
France struggled throughout the match to get past Van Marwijk's defence line, while the Socceroos offered a strong game that made the match even for the most part, with the first half ending goalless.
In the first 20 minutes, Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan made as many as four saves, including a close-range flick from 19-year-old Kylian Mbappe, who became the youngest player to appear for France at a major championship.
France swarmed around the Australian goal but couldn't get near the Australian box as Griezmann tested Ryan with a drive from outside of the box.
However, it was Australia who had the first half's best chance. Midfielder Aaron Mooy swung in a dangerous free-kick which took a nick off Corentin Tolisso and almost crept into the bottom corner for an own goal.
Twelve minutes into the second half, Joshua Risdon fouled the Atletico Madrid forward Griezmann inside the box and initially referee Andres Cunha refused any decision. But seconds later, World Cup history was made when Cunha made use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review. Griezmann converted the resulting penalty, firing to the right corner.
A few minutes later, Samuel Umtiti weirdly raised his hand to a free-kick from the right, resulting in a penalty. Jedinak stepped up to successfully convert the penalty and pull Australia level 1-1.
Later, just when it seemed the game would be heading for a draw, a late shot from Manchester United star midfielder Pogba looped off Australian defender Aziz Behich before hitting the underside of the crossbar and bouncing just over the goal line.
Though Australia pushed forward in search of an equalizer, France held on to seal an unconvincing victory.
After the loss, Australia coach Van Marwijk said that a draw would have been a fair result.
"I'm disappointed because I think we deserved a point. We can be proud of the way we played against one of the best teams in the world. I think we played a great game. I cannot blame any of my players, I can only give them compliments. There were many situations in which France did not know what to do anymore. At least we deserved a draw," the Dutch tactician said.
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Rupee falls 5 paise to close at 89.94 against US dollar after RBI cuts repo rate
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee on Friday gave up its initial gains and settled for the day lower by 5 paise at 89.94 (provisional) against US dollar, after the Reserve Bank cut key benchmark interest rate for the first time in six months.
Forex traders said the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) rate cut will weigh on the rupee, but RBI's decision to purchase government bonds worth up to Rs 1 lakh crore through open market operations (OMO), combined with a USD 5 billion buy-sell swap, will support the local currency.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 89.85 against the US dollar and gained ground, touching 89.69 in morning deals, registering a 20-paise gain from its previous close.
After the RBI's monetary policy announcement, the rupee lost ground and fell to 90.06 against the American currency, a 16-paise decline from its previous close of 89.89. The currency is down almost 5 per cent against the dollar this year, the worst performer in Asia.
The local unit finally settled for the day lower by 5 paise at 89.94 (provisional) against the American currency.
"Beyond the rate cut, RBI's decision to purchase government bonds worth up to Rs 1 lakh crore through OMO, combined with a USD 5 billion buy-sell swap, marks a decisive effort to restore durable liquidity and stabilize currency markets after the rupee's sharp depreciation," said Sachin Bajaj, Executive Vice President & Chief Investment Officer, Axis Max Life Insurance.
The RBI on Friday cut the key benchmark interest rate for the first time in six months and took steps to boost liquidity to support a "goldilocks" economy amid high US tariffs.
Reserve Bank Governor Sanjay Malhotra said the central bank does not target any band for the rupee in the forex market, and allows the domestic currency to find its own correct level.
"We don't target any price levels or any bands. We allow the markets to determine the prices. We believe that markets, especially in the long run, are very efficient. It's a very deep market," he said while replying to a question on rupee depreciation at a post-monetary policy press meet.
Malhotra said fluctuations in the market keep occurring, and the RBI's effort is always to reduce any abnormal or excessive volatility. "And that is what we will continue to endeavour," he added.
In its bi-monthly monetary policy, the RBI announced three-year USD/INR Buy Sell swaps of USD 5 billion this month. When asked if this is aimed at checking rupee depreciation, Malhotra said, "It is a liquidity measure. It is not to support the rupee".
The governor further said the country has sufficient foreign exchange reserves and that the current account is manageable, and that, given the strong fundamentals of the economy, the country should witness strong capital flows going forward.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.03 per cent lower at 98.96.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose 0.02 per cent to USD 63.27 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex jumped 447.05 points to settle at 85,712.37, while the Nifty climbed 152.70 points to 26,186.45.
Foreign institutional investors sold equities worth Rs 1,944.19 crore on a net basis on Thursday, according to exchange data.
