On June 16 2018 France played Australia in their opening Group C match at Kazan Arena, Russia. This match made World Cup history as it was the first time the VAR was used at a World Cup tournament.
The moment of truth was in the 58th minute. Paul Pogba played in a sumptuous through ball to Antoine Griezmann. The striker controlled the ball before being slightly clipped by Josh Risdon from the back.
The centre referee had initially waved for play to continue for about a minute before checking the VAR. Griezmann benefited from one of the top innovations in modern football by slotting home the resultant penalty. France eventually won 2-1 to get their campaign off to a bright start.