Varane’s in awe of ‘Perfect’ Paul Pogba after Germany win
Considered as ’Euro 2020 favorites’, an own goal from Germany’s experienced defender Hummels was enough to kickstart France’s Euro campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory.
France’s
man of the match was undoubtedly
Manchester United’s Paul Pogba
, whose exceptional pass to
Lucas Hernandez
ultimately resulted in the unfortunate
Hummels
, who was out of place in
Germany's
back three,
turning the ball into his own net
.
In addition to that,
Pogba
had the most touches topped for
France
(78), while no other player on the pitch drew more fouls (four), made more interceptions (three) or gained possession on more occasions (12) than the
Manchester United
man.
"He started very early with France, he plays with a lot of maturity, he has so many qualities,"
Varane
said of
Pogba
.
"The difficulty for him is to choose when to use his force. He is a complete player. He has found a balance in his game, he has been performing for many years, he brings a lot to the group in relation to his character. He is at a very good level."
Asked about
Pogba’s leadership
,
Varane
added: "The
captain's armband
for Pogba in the future? He's maturing. He has this strength of character, he knows how to convey that to the group, he is respected and on top of that he sets the mood!
"He's a leader, he could easily wear the French team's armband."
Playing alongside
Presnel Kimpembe
at the heart of
Les Bleus
' defence on Tuesday,
France’s
defensive due
combined for 12 clearances – Varane's tally of nine a game-high – and looked solid against a Germany attack featuring Serge Gnabry, Kai Havertz and the returning Thomas Muller.
"It's a collective performance. When [Kylian] Mbappe loses a ball and recovers it five seconds later, that gives us strength," Varane said, referencing the high press France deployed at the Allianz Arena.
"Kimpembe and I have complementary qualities, we talk a lot. It's not a question of motivation in this kind of match. We motivate each other.
"We also spoke a lot with our midfield to defend well and succeed in countering opposing attacks. We had to be very focused."
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