Injuries open door for fringe France players at World Cup

By JEROME PUGMIRE
AP Sports Writer

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — France’s World Cup squad has been decimated by injuries to star players like Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante. While it’s a big blow for Les Bleus it opens the door for a new generation to make a name for themselves in Qatar. Among them are midfielder Eduardo Camavinga and central defender Ibrahima Konate. They now have more of a chance of starting against Australia in Group D on Tuesday. Camavinga says “if the coach selects us we’ll want to show what we can do and bring a breath of fresh air.” Konate adds that “we all need to be leaders on and off the field.”