Fifa World Cup: Results and reaction from day three in Qatar
Australia gave France an early scare before the defending World Cup champions turned on the style in a 4-1 win in their Group D opener.
Craig Goodwin gave the Socceroos a shock lead after just nine minutes with a composed finish at the back post and France looked out of sorts in the early stages.
But Adrien Rabiot’s header pulled France level before Olivier Giroud scored a second within five minutes as the 2018 World Cup winners turned the match around.
Kylian Mbappe got off the mark for the World Cup in the second half from Ousmane Dembele’s cross, before Giroud scored his second to level Thierry Henry as France’s record scorer with his 51st international goal.
It leaves France top of Group D after Denmark and Tunisia shared the points in a goalless draw earlier in the day. Follow all the reaction from Al-Janoub Stadium with our live blog below.
France vs Australia latest updates
France 4-1 Australia
Thanks for following our coverage of all today’s Qatar World Cup matches!
We’ll be back tomorrow with live updates from all four games, too:
•10am GMT: Morocco vs Croatia – Group F
•1pm GMT: Germany vs Japan – Group E
•4pm GMT: Spain vs Costa Rica – Group E
•7pm GMT: Belgium vs Canada – Group F
Kai Havertz is expected to line up for Germany as they begin their Qatar World Cup campaign
(REUTERS)
Alex Pattle22 November 2022 21:35
France 4-1 Australia
“Didier Deschamps was off his feet, fists pumping in celebration. France did not need a fourth goal against Australia, but this was much more than a case of inflating a scoreline. It was a moment of French footballing history and, as player and manager, Deschamps has witnessed and created more than most.
“He was a teammate of Thierry Henry when he debuted, serving as his captain in the 1998 World Cup- and Euro 2000-winning sides. By the time he retired, Henry was establishing himself as one of the great forwards of his generation. Olivier Giroud does not have the same status but a man who has followed Henry into the Arsenal and France forward lines has equalled him in another respect.
“When Kylian Mbappe, who bears more similarities as a player with Henry, crossed and Giroud supplied the target man’s trademark header, it took him to 51 goals for France. He is level with Henry, behind no one; not Zinedine Zidane or Just Fontaine or Michel Platini or Mbappe. It is a stunning achievement.”
Richard Jolly reflects on Giroud’s historic achievement tonight:
Alex Pattle22 November 2022 21:27
France 4-1 Australia
“Didier Deschamps revealed as much ahead of the World Cup: France would be leaving their back-three experiment behind.
“He was a little snappy in the pre-tournament press conference, reluctant to elaborate on why it had failed or indeed why it had lasted so long. Indeed, leaving the idea behind was not a straightforward decision.
“Something resembling 3-4-1-2 had been France’s predominant formation throughout 2022, which created the enticing possibility of Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema paired up front, but it had brought mixed results: a couple of friendly wins over Ivory Coast and South Africa before a woeful Nations League campaign in which they won only one of their six group games against Croatia, Austria and Denmark.
“In contrast, a back four had brought the World Cup trophy home from Russia four years ago.”
Here’s Lawrence Ostlere with a tactical breakdown of France’s winning performance against Australia:
Alex Pattle22 November 2022 21:22
France 4-1 Australia
“A striker who was supposed to be dispensable now has only one equal.
“That’s the story of Olivier Giroud, who just keeps going, and keeps scoring. The 36-year-old finally got the goal he didn’t in 2018 to claim his first in the World Cup in eight years before quickly following it with another. That made it 4-1 to France against Australia and was also the 51st goal of his international career, to match Thierry Henry’s record.
“Giroud may well surpass that in this tournament, a World Cup he wasn’t even expected to start in. This was precisely why Karim Benzema’s injury wasn’t seen as anything close to a disaster by the French, despite his immense quality.
“They’d already won a World Cup with Giroud and, far from the Real Madrid player taking them to another level, the belief is that the team just works better with the Milan striker. He links it all together. Kylian Mbappe certainly enjoys playing with him.
“As regards levels, the reality of this game was that a plucky but hugely limited Australia just couldn’t get close to France.”
Match report by Miguel Delaney in Qatar:
Alex Pattle22 November 2022 21:14
France 4-1 Australia
France with one of the finest performances of the group stage so far. England’s 6-2 win against Iran stands out, too, of course, while Argentina have already fallen to Saudi Arabia, and Netherlands left it late to see off Senegal.
Alex Pattle22 November 2022 21:05
France 4-1 Australia
Goodwin’s early goal for Australia was cancelled out by Rabiot, before France added three more through Mbappe and Giroud, the latter netting twice to join Henry as the nation’s record goalscorer.
(Getty Images)
Alex Pattle22 November 2022 21:03
France 4-1 Australia
Full-time: Winning start for France! The champions overcome an early blip to breeze past Australia in the end.
Alex Pattle22 November 2022 21:00
France 4-1 Australia
90+4 mins: Mooy goes into the book for a mistimed sliding challenge on T Hernandez, whose brother Lucas went off injured earlier…
T Hernandez does down with a cry of pain, but thankfully he’s okay to play on.
Alex Pattle22 November 2022 20:57
France 4-1 Australia
90 mins: Seven minutes of added time to come.
Alex Pattle22 November 2022 20:55
France 4-1 Australia
90 mins: France go close again! Konate’s close-range header is saved well by Ryan!
Alex Pattle22 November 2022 20:54
