France 4-1 Australia: Player ratings as Les Blues overcome an early scare to begin their title defence in style | FIFA World Cup 2022
Defending champions France came from a goal down to beat Australia 4-1 in their opening Group D encounter in the FIFA World Cup 2022 on Tuesday, 22 November.
Australia took a shock lead in the ninth minute, with Craig Goodwin’s well-taken strike putting the Socceroos in front. France soon found their rhythm, however, and were back on level terms in the 27th minute through Adrien Rabiot.
Five minutes later, Olivier Giroud put the defending champions ahead, a lead they carried into the half-time break.
Les Blues were much more assured after the restart, looking extremely comfortable on the ball and fashioning some decent chances. They made their dominance count midway through the second half as Kylian Mbappe’s 68th-minute header extended their advantage before Giroud nodded home his second three minutes later.
That proved to be the final goal of the game as France overcame the early scare to emerge as comfortable winners on the night, kicking off their defence of the World Cup title in some style.
World champions France begin their title defence with a convincing win over Australia 💥🇫🇷
#FIFAWorldCup #Qatar2022 #FRAAUS https://t.co/85lhPICjIP
On that note, here are the player ratings for France from a dramatic game at the Al Jaboub Stadium.
France Player Ratings
Hugo Lloris: 5/10
Australia’s goal was the only shot on target that Lloris faced throughout the game as the France goalkeeper was not called upon to make a single save other than Goodwin’s early strike.
Benjamin Pavard: 5/10
A solid yet unspectacular display from Pavard, who did not venture forward much from his right-back berth and performed his defensive duties diligently for France.
Dayot Upamecano: 6/10
Reunited with his former RB Leipzig defensive partner, Upamecano looked comfortable while defending and with the ball at his feet, completing the most passes (114) in the game.
Ibrahima Konate: 6/10
Konate was every bit as calm and composed in defence as his centre-back partner, keeping Australia at bay for most of the game with minimal effort. Not only did he make six recoveries, but he also won all of his duels in the match.
Lucas Hernandez: N.A.
He picked up what looked to be a painful knee injury in the buildup to the opener and had to be taken off in the 13th minute as a result.
Adrien Rabiot: 8/10
Rabiot floated across the pitch and to great effect, heading home the equalizer before setting Giroud up for the second. He also made more successful tackles (5) than anyone else in the game.
1 - Adrien Rabiot is the first France player to both score and assist a goal on his World Cup debut since Christophe Dugarry against South Africa in June 1998. Rebellion. #FRAAUS https://t.co/yt3v5dZ1gI
Aurelien Tchouameni: 7/10
He tended to stay deep and defend while his midfield partner Rabiot enjoyed more freedom to roam. The Real Madrid man was supremely efficient with the ball, maintaining a 96 percent pass accuracy. He was also tenacious off it, making three interceptions, six recoveries, and winning all his duels. He was replaced by Fofana in the 77th minute.
Aurélien Tchouaméni's game by numbers vs Australia:
96.05% passing accuracy
89 touches
10 final third entries
6 ball recoveries
6 duels won
4 tackles
3 interceptions
A quietly brilliant performance. 👏 https://t.co/COBNtivIY7
Ousmane Dembele: 8/10
Dembele troubled Behich with electrifying pace throughout and claimed an assist for the third goal. Taken off for a well-deserved rest after 77 minutes.
Antoine Griezmann: 7/10
Griezmann linked midfield to attack excellently and was superb at receiving the ball from his defenders or midfielders and feeding it through to the attackers. He created the most chances (6) for France in the game and looked threatening throughout.
Kylian Mbappe: 9/10
Mbappe proved why he is one of the best players in the world, showcasing his frightening pace and skill on the left wing. He beat Atkinson seemingly at will and repeatedly got into dangerous positions, scoring a header and setting Giroud up for one in quick succession in the second half.
At the age of just 23, Kylian Mbappé is already in the top 10 goalscorers in the history of the French Men’s national side. 🇫🇷 https://t.co/vB3VhxTs84
Olivier Giroud: 9/10
The France striker struggled to get involved at the start but proceeded to make a real impact with his physical prowess. He gave France the lead in the first half, adding their fourth in the second half before going off in the 89th minute.
Olivier Giroud's game by numbers vs Australia:
19 touches
6 duels won
3 aerial duels won
5 touches in opp. box
5 shots
2 shots on target
2 goals
1 chance created
Record = matched. 💫
#FIFAWorldCup
Substitutes:
Theo Hernandez (Hernandez 13’): 8/10
Having replaced his brother at left-back in less-than-ideal circumstances, Hernandez made the most of his opportunity. He was much more attack-minded than Pavard on the opposite flank, using his blistering pace to great effect and bombing forward repeatedly. His superb assist for Rabiot’s equalizer set the comeback from France in motion.
Youssouf Fofana (Tchouameni, 77’): N.A.
Not enough time to make an impact.
Kingsley Coman (Dembele, 77’): N.A.
Not enough time to make an impact.
Jules Kounde (Pavard, 89’): N.A.
Not enough time to make an impact.
Marcus Thuram (Giroud, 89’): N.A.
Not enough time to make an impact.