France claimed a narrow 2-1 win over Australia on Saturday at the World Cup and defender Lucas Hernandez has conceded to exaggerating fouls to buy his side some time.
The French struggled against the Socceroos and only narrowly secured victory, with the Les Bleus copping it from Aussie fans for going to ground so easily.
While only just edging the foul count, France made the most of every bit of contact to eat up the minutes as they held on after a Socceroos own goal in the 80th minute.
One of the worst offenders was Hernandez, who didn't shy away from what he did.
"You saw it yesterday, it's true that there were some moments where it was a foul and I amplified a bit," Hernandez said.
"That's part of the show, part of the game. It's true that sometimes I exaggerate a bit but it's part of my character.
"I am used to doing that, especially when we are leading. The team and I can win, save some precious seconds."
It was a crucial victory for France, who have a history of starting the tournament slowly having won just one of their past four World Cup openers.
The loss was a bitter blow for the Socceroos however, with progression to the knockout stages now reliant on getting a result against Denmark.