Iintshatsheli zehlabathi kwibhola ekhatywayo ziphinde zazibonakalisa ukuba zikwelinye inqanaba ngokuphumelela umdlalo ebezihamba emva kuwo. IFrance inqwamze iAustralia ngamagowuli amane kwelinye (4-1) emdlalweni wetumente yehlabathi obubanjelwe eAl Janoub Stadium ebusuku namhlanje. Phantse wonke umlandeli webhola ekhatywayo obukele itumente yehlabathi yalo nyaka ebenawo umdla wokubona indlela eza kudlala ngayo iFrance elahlekelwe ngabadlali bayo abonzakeleyo abafana noPaul Pogba noBenzema. UKylian Mbappe no-OliviaGiroud bakhokele iintshatsheli ezikhuselayo bexhaswa linxele eliyingozi, uAntoine Griezmann.
Abadlali beAustralia abachithanga xesha, babhalise ebhodini kwangoko emdlalweni besafundana abadlali bamaqela omabini. Igowuli lifakwe Chris Goodwin ofumene ibhola entle ebigotywe nguMatthew Leckie. Ithe isothukile iFrance, iAustralia iphinde yazama ukongeza elesibini igowuli. Oku kwenzeke ngethuba uTheo Hernandez ephisa ngebhola kuMitchell Duke oyikhabe yaqabela ngaphezulu kweepali. Iphendule iFrance ngegowuli elifakwe nguAndrien Rabiot ofumene ibhola kuHernandez. Kuyiwe kwixesha lokuphumla France ihamba phambili ngo’2-1 emva kwegowuli elifakwe nguGiroud – olingana ngamagowuli ayi-51 negqala, uThierry Henry.
Belikhona ithuba lokulinganisa elifumeneyo iAustralia kwisigaba sesibini – kodwa uJackson Irvine akakwazanga ukulisebenzisa. Iintshatsheli zidlale isigaba sesibini somdlalo zipholile – kodwa ngokuzithemba ngoba ibingenabo ubungozi iAustralia. UGiroud uphose elinye ithuba phambi kwegowuli lesithathu leFrance elifakwe nguMbappe. Emizuzwini embalwa emva koko, uGiroud ufake igowuli lakhe lesibini emdlalweni wanamhlanje kwaphela ngayo iAustralia ewuqale kakuhle umdlalo. Iqela likaDidier Deschamps lidinga impumelelo enye nje kuphela phambi kokuba lidlulele kumjikelo olandelayo weNdebe yeHlabathi ebanjelwe eQatar. IFrance iza kudibana neDenmark ebambene neTunisia emdlalweni olandelayo kaGroup D.
ABafana Bafana bayingombe yanaba iCongo Brazzaville, eGqeberha!