Pogba Shine As France Top Euro Group

Paul Pogba shone through the mediocrity as hosts France secured top spot in Euro 2016 Group A following a subdued 0-0 draw with Switzerland in Lille on Sunday.

A game that featured a substandard pitch, ripped Switzerland shirts and a burst ball concluded in a mutually convenient result that allowed the Swiss to join Didier Deschamps’s France in the last 16.

But Pogba, dogged by controversy over an alleged contentious gesture prior to the game, did his best to illuminate proceedings, hitting the bar twice, as did French substitute Dimitri Payet late in the game.

As group winners, France will face the third-place team in either Group C, D or E in Lyon on June 26, while Switzerland will come up against either Germany, Poland or Northern Ireland a day earlier.

It was mission accomplished, therefore, for France, but following narrow wins over Romania and Albania, their failure to record a seventh consecutive victory means they advance with little momentum.

A dry, patchy pitch at Stade Pierre-Mauroy made it difficult for both teams to get the ball down and play football, but aside from a few slips, Pogba did not seemed perturbed by the conditions underfoot.

One of five players brought into the France team by Deschamps, in changes that saw in-form playmaker Payet left on the bench, the Juventus star seemed determined to erase the memory of his alleged ‘bras d’honneur’ following Payet’s second goal in Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Albania.

Deployed in his preferred position on the left of a midfield three, he threatened three times in five minutes, forcing Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer to produce a wonder save in between two efforts that clipped the bar from outside the box.