Paul Pogba pops up to win it for Les Bleus
Celtic fans may have tuned into this one hoping for a bit of magic from Tom Rogic, who has been dubbed Australia’s X Factor.
What they got was small screen action of a different kind with VAR deciding the outcome of the Group C opener.
In years gone by the final score here could quite easily have ended up as 1-0 to Australia, a result that would have been a genuine shock.
That’s because the Socceroos scored the only goal of the contest that would have almost certainly have been caught by an official from any era.
Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti clearly, bizarrely, handled the ball in his own area and Australia’s veteran skipper Mile Jedinak converted confidently.
It was a record-breaking effort, the ball hitting the back of the net just four minutes and seven seconds after Antoine Griezmann had netted from the spot – the shortest period of time between two penalties being scored in the Finals.
Griezmann’s goal, a vicious whipped effort that no keeper could have saved, was even more historic as it was the first World Cup goal given with the intervention of VAR, the video assistant referee.
The system penalised Josh Ridson for a foul on Griezmann, a decision so contentious former England defender Phil Neville was still arguing it was the wrong call long after the final whistle had blown.
VAR also gave the adjudication on France’s winner, a strange goal in which Paul Pogba’s effort took a deflection off Aziz Behich and went up over keeper Matt Ryan and on to the crossbar.
Here the technology simplified things neatly, showing the ball might have ended up bouncing down and back into play, but it clearly crossed the line first.
The early action had brought little hint of the fun and games to follow.
France showed their attacking intent with three shots in the first six minutes, then they became strangely pedestrian.
Rogic, working in the area patrolled by Pogba, worked away, shutting down space as part of Australia’s pressing game.
If his contribution was steady, it was also unspectacular and it was no surprise when he was taken off midway through the second half to be replaced by another former Celtic player, Jackson Irvine.
In fairness Irvine, whose father came from Aberdeen, is much better known in these parts as a Ross County player.
More prominent than either for Australia was ex-St Mirren attacker Aaron Mooy who took all of his side’s set-pieces.
The quality of his delivery showed why, with Hugo Lloris required to make an excellent stop to prevent Corentin Tolisso scoring an own-goal off one free-kick which had been flicked on by Matt Leckie.
Despite losing, the Aussies can justifiably feel happy with the effort they put in.
As for France, they were better after the break, but they could scarcely have been much worse.
Pogba ended up having the decisive moment at the end of a 1-2 with Olivier Giroud, who had replaced Griezmann, but the Man Utd man’s general play was disappointing.
And with Barca’s Umtiti and Raphael Varane of Real Madrid looking an awkward partnership at the back, it was difficult to escape the suspicion that on this form they will struggle to make a big impact on the tournament.
VAR won’t always be around to bail them out.