Raphael Varane asked for some respite from the media after France won their opening World Cup game 2-1 against Australia.

Varane was quick to highlight the positives after media criticism of Les Bleus’ performance against the Socceroos and about the role of Manchester United’s Paul Pogba.

“There is a lot of negativity (in the media), it’s a reality,” Varane said. “We are always trying to stay positive.

“He is staying positive anyway. But if you (the media) could be more positive, that would be nice.”

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