Pogba dedicates France win to Thai cave survivors

SAINT PETERSBURG: Paul Pogba dedicated France’s World Cup semi- f inal win against Belgium to the 12 boys who survived a harrowing ordeal trapped underground in Thailand.

The final five members of a young football team were rescued from a flooded Thai cave on Tuesday after spending 18 harrowing days trapped deep inside, completing an astonishing against-the- odds rescue mission that captivated the world.

Elite foreign divers and Thai Navy SEALs extracted the fi nal batch of four boys, plus the 25year- old coach, via a treacherous escape route that required them to squeeze through narrow, waterfi lled tunnels in darkness.

Following the 1- 0 win in Saint Petersburg, Manchester United midfielder Pogba tweeted: “This victory goes to the heroes of the day, well done boys, you are so strong.”

FIFA boss Gianni Infantino had invited the boys’ Wild Boars football team to Sunday’s World Cup fi nal last week. — AFP