France vs Australia 4-1: World Cup 2022 – as it happened
All the updates from the FIFA World Cup 2022 Group D match between France and Australia at Al Janoub Stadium.
This blog is now closed, thanks for joining us. These were the updates on the France vs Australia World Cup 2022 match on Tuesday, November 22.
This blog is now closed, thanks for joining us. These were the updates on the France vs Australia World Cup 2022 match on Tuesday, November 22.
- World Cup title holders France kick off campaign against Australia.
- Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema is among several French players ruled out of the tournament through injury.
- FIFA ranking: France (4), Australia (38)
- Live updates
- Match stats
- Lineups
Checking out
And that’s a wrap on day three of the Qatar World Cup.
Four games to look forward to tomorrow as well.
Morocco vs Croatia (1pm/10:00 GMT)
Germany vs Japan (4pm/13:00 GMT)
Spain vs Costa Rica (7pm/16:00 GMT)
Belgium vs Canada (10pm/19:00 GMT)
France on the prance
Scenes of joy for the French:
France to break the curse of champions?
Barring Brazil in 2006, every World Cup winner since 1998 has crashed out in the group stages.
It’s a trend that began with France in 2002. In 2022, will it end with them?
Highest xG of the tournament so far
Didn’t we all need that after those successive nil-all draws earlier in the day?
4.2 – France 🇫🇷 recorded 4.2 Expected Goals (xG) against Australia 🇦🇺, the highest so far in the 2022 World Cup.#FRAAUS #FRA #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/GymnVbhBh6
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 22, 2022
Immense Mbappe
Lloris wears the armband but Mbappe is the undoubted leader for France on the pitch.
The intensity and drive in his game set the tone for the rest of the team. Right until the final whistle, he didn’t stop running.
Elite mentality.
🎵 Na na na na GIROUD
Giroud when everyone said France were in trouble without Benzema pic.twitter.com/D8VST8Bf2F
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) November 22, 2022
FULL TIME: France 4 -1 Australia
Nice and easy for the defending champions then.
93 mins: France 4 -1 Australia
Still got four minutes to play here.
Very much in favour of the obscene amounts of added time … but why not just stop the clock? Like in all the other sports?
— Tom Peck (@tompeck) November 22, 2022
88 mins: France 4-1 Australia
No hat-trick for Giroud today, as he’s subbed off for Marcus Thuram.
Jules Kounde is on for Pavard too.
82 mins: France 4-1 Australia
Mbappe mis-controls Griezmann’s lofted ball and Ryan cleans up. France are up 4-1, but Mbappe looks livid with himself. His first touch let him down there.
76 mins: France 4-1 Australia
Substitutions for France.
Tchouameni and Dembele are off. Coman and Fofana are on.
73 mins: France 4 -1 Australia
Giroud didn’t have a shot on target in the last World Cup but he’s already got two goals here today. There’s still time for more.
Olivier Giroud equals Thierry Henry as France's all-time top scorer (51) 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/zCgusC6inG
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 22, 2022
Giroud heads home
Giroud and Henry
The all-time leading goal scorers in the history of the France national team: pic.twitter.com/dgXjk0FpnB
— Zach Lowy (@ZachLowy) November 22, 2022
72 mins: France 4-1 Australia
GOAL FOR FRANCE!
It’s Giroud again! Mbappe breaks down the left and his cross is headed home by Giroud. Too easy, that.
Benzema who?
67 mins: France 3-1 Australia
GOAL FOR MBAPPE!
He squeezes between the two Australian centre backs and heads home Dembele’s delicious cross. He’s been after a goal all night and he’s finally got it!
65 mins: France 2-1 Australia
Tchouameni is on the receiving end of a rough tackle. He’s back on his feet, but Deschamps isn’t pleased and is having a word with the official on the touchline.
59 mins: France 2-1 Australia
Tchouameni and Rabiot have been solid in midfield, putting in strong performances despite making their World Cup debuts.
Reminder that Rabiot was close to joining Man United in the summer:
Adrien Rabiot goal and assist… Erik ten Hag, what was your plan?!
— . (@Nigerianscamsss) November 22, 2022
And he’s off …
Moments after his booking, Australia take Duke off the pitch.
56' Our first change of the night up top.
⬆️: Jason Cummings
⬇️: Mitch Duke #FRA 2-1 #AUS | #FIFAWorldCup #GiveIt100 #Socceroos pic.twitter.com/zWmxQ6VMJ2— Socceroos (@Socceroos) November 22, 2022
54 mins: France 2-1 Australia
Duke becomes the first player to go in the book after scything down Dembele. You can almost hear Deschamps’s heart rate pick up each time one of his players goes down.
50 mins: France 2-1 Australia
Olivier Giroud is inches away from scoring a blinder! He gets great contact on his bicycle kick that just goes past the post.
Seriously, how is he not rated higher by France fans?
An aside…
Kylian Mbappe is so good. He really is just so good.
Cristiano Ronaldo is now looking for another club, and Mbappe’s Paris Saint-Germain are one of the few with pockets deep enough. But with Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi already on board, could 37-year-old Ronaldo even make it into PSG’s front line?
Anyway, back to this match…
Back under way
The second half has begun. No changes for either team.
The first half in numbers
Giroud’s British doppelganger?
Rylan Clark, the British TV presenter who fronts the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing sister show, It Takes Two, has been feeling the heat on Twitter tonight.
I’m guessing Giroud is playing atm…. I’m at work….
— R Y L A N (@Rylan) November 22, 2022