France vs. Nigeria: Full Player Ratings
Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann scored in Brasilia as France defeated Nigeria 2-0 in their round of 16 contest.
Following a sustained siege in front of Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, Pogba rose to meet a Mathieu Valbuena corner and headed Les Bleus into the lead in the 79th minute.
Then, in the first minute of second-half stoppage time, Griezmann got the slightest of touches to another corner-kick, although Nigeria defender Joseph Yobo appeared to deflect the ball into his own goal.
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Following are ratings and analysis for both sets of players.
| Player | Half-Time | Full-Time |
| Hugo Lloris | 7 | 7 |
| Mathieu Debuchy | 7 | 7 |
| Raphael Varane | 7 | 7 |
| Laurent Koscielny | 7 | 8 |
| Patrice Evra | 6 | 6 |
| Paul Pogba | 7 | 8 |
| Blaise Matuidi | 7 | 7 |
| Yohan Cabaye | 7 | 7 |
| Mathieu Valbuena | 7 | 8 |
| Olivier Giroud | 5 | 5 |
| Karim Benzema | 5 | 6 |
| Antoine Griezmann | N/A | 7 |
| Moussa Sissoko | N/A | 5 |
Half-time analysis for France
Hugo Lloris: Doing well to find the ball in what has been a crowded goalmouth.
Mathieu Debuchy: France have looked at their most dangerous when heโs brought the ball downfield.
Raphael Varane: The 21-year-old has been playing well beyond his years throughout the competition.
Laurent Koscielny: The Arsenal man has so far won everything in the air.
Patrice Evra: Looking vulnerable opposite Musa.
Paul Pogba: Tested Enyeama with a vicious shot after initiating a dangerous counter-attack.
Blaise Matuidi: Franceโs most reliable midfielder so far in Brasilia.
Yohan Cabaye: Contributed a trio of first-half tackles.
Mathieu Valbuena: Making things happen when he cuts inside.
Olivier Giroud: Yet to place a shot on target.
Karim Benzema: Needs to be much more involved in the second half.
Full-time analysis for France
Hugo Lloris: Did well to deny Odemwingie early in the second half.
Mathieu Debuchy: His crosses generally lacked quality.
Raphael Varane: Picked up a knock shortly after the restart, but was able to continue.
Laurent Koscielny: He dug out every ball that came his way.
Patrice Evra: Faced the bulk of the Nigeria attack and managed to hold.
Paul Pogba: Opened the scoring with a fine header from Valbuenaโs corner.
Blaise Matuidi: Should have been shown a red card for his studs-up challenge on Onazi.
Yohan Cabaye: Struck the crossbar with 15 minutes remaining.
Mathieu Valbuena: Grew into the match in the second half and took the corner that allowed Pogba to open the scoring.
Olivier Giroud: Did next to nothing before being replaced by Griezmann.
Karim Benzema: His goal-bound effort was denied at the last moment by Moses.
Antoine Griezmann: Added an insurance marker with a deft touch in front of goal that deflected off Yobo.
Moussa Sissoko: Played just the final few seconds of added time.
| Player | Half-Time | Full-Time |
| Vincent Enyema | 8 | 8 |
| Efe Ambrose | 7 | 6 |
| Joseph Yobo | 7 | 5 |
| Kenneth Omeruo | 7 | 6 |
| Juwon Oshaniwa | 6 | 5 |
| John Obi Mikel | 7 | 6 |
| Ogenyi Onazi | 6 | 6 |
| Peter Odemwingie | 7 | 6 |
| Victor Moses | 6 | 6 |
| Ahmed Musa | 7 | 6 |
| Emmanuel Emenike | 6 | 5 |
| Reuben Gabriel | N/A | 5 |
| Uche Nwofor | N/A | 5 |
Half-time analysis for Nigeria
Vincent Enyeama: His save on Pogba was his best of the first half.
Efe Ambrose: Performing well opposite Benzema.
Joseph Yobo: Making his 100th appearance for Nigeria.
Kenneth Omeruo: Chelsea have a real gem in the 20-year-old.
Juwon Oshaniwa: Allowing Valbuena to cut inside him a bit too often.
John Obi Mikel: Committing a few too many uncharacteristic give-aways in midfield.
Ogenyi Onazi: Was stretchered off following a collision with Pogba but returned to the pitch not long after.
Peter Odemwingie: His distribution in the final third has been excellent.
Victor Moses: His willingness to drop into midfield has been key to Nigeriaโs possession game.
Ahmed Musa: Causing Evra all sorts of problems down the right-hand side.
Emmanuel Emenike: Had the ball in the back of the net, but his goal was correctly disallowed for offside.
Full-time analysis for Nigeria
Vincent Enyeama: Was absolutely exceptional until Pogba scored.
Efe Ambrose: Had all sorts of problems with Griezmann.
Joseph Yobo: Should have prevented Pogba scoring and directed Griezmannโs touch into goal.
Kenneth Omeruo: Completed more than 90 percent of his passes out of the defense.
Juwon Oshaniwa: Run into the ground by Debuchy and Valbuena.
John Obi Mikel: Far less effective following Onaziโs injury.
Ogenyi Onazi: Carried off the field of play after having his shin crunched into by Matuidi.
Peter Odemwingie: Had a decent chance to open the scoring in the second half but was stopped by Lloris.
Victor Moses: Chopped the ball off the line to prevent a Benzema goal.
Ahmed Musa: Had far fewer touches in the second half than during the first.
Emmanuel Emenike: As France started to dominate, the service dried up for him.
Reuben Gabriel: A second-half replacement for the injured Onazi.
Uche Nwofor: Introduced for the final minute of normal time.
