Soccer-Injury-hit France flirt with champions curse in Australia clash

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - France Training - Al Sadd SC Stadium, Doha, Qatar - November 19, 2022 France's Olivier Giroud with Matteo Guendouzi and teammates during training REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

DOHA (Reuters) - The curse of the defending champions will hang over injury-hit France when they open their World Cup title defence in a group match against Australia on Tuesday - a repeat of the start to their triumphant 2018 campaign.

A VAR penalty and a deflected Paul Pogba strike gave Didier Deschamps's side a solid start with a 2-1 win over the Socceroos four years ago, and they were soon firing on all cylinders as they marched to their second title in Moscow.