Pogba happy with France progress

Paul Pogba expects no halt in momentum following France’s underwhelming goalless draw with Ecuador at the FIFA World Cup on Wednesday.

The Juventus youngster returned to the French midfield for their final Group E clash, which ended in stalemate.

A much-changed XI were far from their fluent best against an Ecuador side reduced to 10 men when Antonio Valencia was dismissed early in the second half.

However, despite failing to break down Ecuador, Pogba does not expect the result to slow France down ahead of their last-16 clash against Nigeria.

“We played well and put in the performance that was expected of us, but we didn’t get the result we deserved,” he told FIFA.com.

“All we lacked was a bit of a break in front of goal, that’s all.

“I don’t think this match will have any kind of negative effect on our confidence. We drew, we didn’t lose. That’s an important distinction.”

The draw ended France’s 100 per cent record in the group but their unbeaten progression represents a step forward from their shambolic campaign in South Africa four years ago.

They crashed out with just a point in 2010 and Pogba believes France can be proud of their efforts this time around.

“We can be satisfied with how we did overall and with our qualification for the knockout stages,” he added.

“It could have been Argentina (who France booked a tie with in the last 16), or another team, but no matter who it is, our goals of winning and getting as far as possible in the tournament don’t change. We’re doing everything we can to achieve those aims.”