World Cup 2018: France 2-1 Australia; 3 key battles that decided the game

#3 N'golo Kante vs Mile Jedinak

Kante was as busy as always, fighting for the ball and giving it to the attackers

Before the game, there was a concern that Jedinak might be dropped from the starting XI, but he started anyway and those concerns were answered by a goal - even if it was only a penalty.

Along with Mooy, Jedinak was often helping out in defense and using his height and physique to get the French players off the ball. He might have almost a foot's reach over Kante, but today the Australian might have discovered why Kante is regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in football right now.'

Kante vs Jedinak - stats

Kante, as usual, was everywhere. With Tolisso playing alongside him, he had even more of a license to go forward and was often seen loitering around in the Australian half. The Australian midfield might have outnumbered the French midfield, but it was thanks to Kante that Les Blues could find pockets of space to squeeze out through balls.