France 4-1 Australia: 5 hits and flops as Les Bleus begin title defense in style - FIFA World Cup 2022
Defending champions France kicked off their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign with a dominant 4-1 victory over Australia at the Al Janoub Stadium on Tuesday, November 22.
The Socceroos took a surprising lead through Craig Goodwin in the ninth minute before France steamrolled them by scoring four goals across both halves. Olivier Giroud netted a brace to become France's joint-leading goalscorer of all time (51) alongside Thierry Henry. Adrien Rabiot and Kylian Mbappe also scored one goal apiece.
Australia started brightly and were on course to cause a major upset. Harry Souttar's long ball found Mathew Leckie, who made a daunting run into the penalty box to pick out Goodwin. The forward tucked it home to help the Aussies take a surprise 1-0 lead.
Australia had another chance when Mitchell Duke's thunderous 25-yard strike was just a whisker away from beating Hugo Lloris at full stretch.
France soon pulled things back as Rabiot headed home to equalize in the 27th minute. The world champions then took the lead just five minutes later through Giroud as Australia failed to clear their lines.
Kylian Mbappe failed to make it 3-1 before the half-time interval as he skied his effort despite Antoine Griezmann delivering the ball on a platter.
Australia came close to finding an unlikely equalizer on the stroke of half-time as Jackson Irvine's header hit the post.
France were ruthless in the second half and scored their third of the night through Mbappe in the 68th minute. The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar turned provider three minutes later as his sublime delivery saw Giroud make no mistake with his headed effort.
On that note, let's take a look at five hits and flops from France's comprehensive win over Australia.
#5 Hit - Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe missed a couple of easy chances and one half-chance before contributing two goals in the second half. He scored one and assisted the other.
The Frenchman constantly troubled Nathaniel Atkinson, who struggled to keep up with the PSG ace's pace on the right defensive flank.
Mbappe, on the other hand, easily got into goalscoring positions and scored in the 68th minute before providing the assist for Giroud's second goal.
#4 Flop - Jackson Irvine
Despite Irvine coming close to scoring Australia's second goal, his overall game must be brought into question. He was lethargic with the ball and lost possession in key areas.
Irvine was also not creative and struggled to compete with the in-form Aurelien Tchouameni in the middle of the park.
He failed to make full use of the afforded freedom and did not make it count in the attacking areas of the pitch. Irvine also didn't track back to help his teammates out for most of the game.
#3 Hit - Adrien Rabiot
Rabiot, who infamously refused to be part of France's standby list in the previous World Cup, was in fine form against Australia.
His heading prowess was on display as he headed home the equalizer in the 27th minute. Rabiot also played a key role in assisting Giroud's first goal in the 32nd minute.
His overall game was top-notch as he won tackles and played some brilliant passes throughout the game.
#2 Flop - Nathaniel Atkinson
Nathaniel Atkinson was guilty of losing the ball in a dangerous area for France's second goal. The right-back took one touch too many and lost possession. Rabiot and Mbappe then played a neat one-two before Giroud scored.
Atkinson couldn't stop Mbappe from making runs from behind as the Australian defense were put under enormous pressure. Rabiot made occasional forward runs through the left flank as well.
#1 Hit - Olivier Giroud
Giroud's brace helped him become France's all-time goalscorer alongside Henry with 51 goals. The striker was at the right place at the right time to kick off his 2022 World Cup campaign on a high note.
The AC Milan forward's linkup and holdup play tormented the Australian defense. Didier Deschamps will be hoping for the same from Giroud for the rest of the tournament.