Paul Pogba’s strong Euro 2020 continued last night as France drew 2-2 with Portugal.
The world champions secured top spot in Group F and remain unbeaten in the tournament so far.
Two minutes after half time, Pogba helped put France 2-1 up with a perfectly weighted through ball to Karim Benzema.
That formed part of a masterclass on the night and the French media were effusive in their praise.
L’Equipe hailed him as a ‘real leader’, and noted that it was him shouting to his teammates on the pitch, inspiring the recovery from 1-0 down.
They also wondered where France’s creativity would come from if not from him, offering him a 7/10 in their notoriously stingy player ratings.
Eurosport went one better, handing him an eight: “What a game, what a player,” they wrote.
They also hailed his pass to Benzema and pointed out that Pogba could have scored himself on 68 minutes, only to be denied by a stunning Rui Patricio save.
So Foot hailed ‘perfectionist’ Pogba’s ability to pick an ambitious pass and claimed that ‘when Pogba plays well, France play well’.
Ouest France added that he was the only French player to light up the game, handing him 7/10.
They said that he was at the heart of everything good about France.
Pogba continues to shine
This summer, plenty of people have asked why Pogba can’t replicate his international form for United.
The first thing to note is he’s playing with better players at international level.
They perhaps take some of the opposition’s attention away, and give Pogba more time on the ball. They also make good runs for him to find.
Pogba also spoke last week about how he has more freedom for France than he does at United.
Maybe their tactical setup just suits him more. Maybe the fact that every game is a big one, and a month of focus is all that’s needed to write his name into the history books suits him more than a season of ups and downs.
Who knows? But Pogba’s performances may make United more keen to tie him down or entice potential suitors to come forward as he has just a year left on his deal?
His future will be sorted after the tournament but for now, he can focus on lighting it up with France set to play Switzerland on Monday night.
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