Rabiot criticizes MetLife Stadium pitch after France win

France midfielder Adrien Rabiot has criticized the quality of the pitch at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, calling it 'more like an artificial surface' after his team's 3-1 victory over Senegal on Tuesday. The stadium, home to the NFL's New York Giants and Jets, is hosting World Cup matches including England's group game against Panama on June 27 and the final on July 19.

Rabiot's concerns

Rabiot, 31, played the full match and assisted Bradley Barcola for France's second goal. After the game, he expressed dissatisfaction with the playing surface. 'The pitch... I don't even know if you can call it that. It felt more like an artificial surface - quite hard and quite rigid,' Rabiot said.

Previous complaints

Rabiot's comments echo those of Brazil forward Vinicius Junior, who cited the pitch's dryness after Brazil's 1-1 draw with Morocco in their opening fixture. 'In the second half, with the heat, the pitch dries out very quickly. The game becomes very sluggish and we can't get into our rhythm,' Vinicius said.

Temporary grass surface

The 78,576-capacity stadium typically uses artificial turf, which has a poor reputation due to injuries suffered by NFL players. Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers tore his anterior cruciate ligament there in September, adding to the so-called 'MetLife curse'. For the World Cup, a temporary grass pitch has been installed, one of eight such surfaces at 16 host venues. Scotland opened their campaign with a 1-0 win over Haiti on a similar surface at Boston Stadium.

Upcoming matches

Senegal will face Norway at MetLife Stadium on June 22. Scotland plays Morocco at Boston Stadium on Friday in their second Group C match.