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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Australia Player Ratings
Mathew Ryan: 4/10
Despite conceding four unanswered goals, Ryan made a couple of crucial saves that could have made the scoreline much more damaging than it ended up being.
Nathaniel Atkinson: 3/10
The already unenviable assignment of marking Mbappe was made even tougher with the early arrival of Theo Hernandez, and Atkinson had a torrid time. Regularly beaten for pace by the pacy French duo, he lost the ball in a dangerous area leading directly to France’s second goal.
He was replaced in the 85th minute.
Harry Souttar: 5/10
The giant centre-back acquitted himself fairly well in the face of a difficult challenge, defending solidly for most of the game. He also showcased his passing ability, sending a raking diagonal out to the right wing to set up the opener for his side.
Kye Rowles: 4/10
Rowles had it tough up against France’s star-studded attackers but stood up to the task manfully. He took an uncomplicated approach to the game, cleaning up quickly and efficiently when needed.
Aziz Behich: 5/10
Behich had a little more success keeping tabs on Dembele than his opposite fullback had with Mbappe as he showed excellent industry to keep pace with the French speedster for most of the game. He also got forward at times and made a heroic goalline clearance to keep the score down.
Aaron Mooy: 4/10
Mooy did not move much from his central midfield spot, opting instead to spray the ball around as and when needed. However, he could not create much and picked up a booking in injury time at the end of the game.
Riley McGree: 4/10
McGree showed a willingness to run, covering a lot fo ground but offering little else as he struggled to get on the ball much. He was taken off in the 73rd minute.
Jackson Irvine: 5/10
The tough-tackling Irvine used his physicality to good effect, jumping into challenges all over the pitch and even hitting the post with a looping first-half header. He was over-zealous while defending at times, which earned him an 80th minute booking before he was taken off five minutes later.
Matthew Leckie: 5/10
Leckie’s excellent control and cross for the opener was his solitary contribution of note in the game. He struggled to beat Theo Hernandez for pace after he came on and did not offer much assistance while tracking back either.
Mitchell Duke: 4/10
A tough outing for the striker, who was forced to feed off scraps and had to drop deep to get involved in the play. Having had only 16 touches in the game, he picked up a booking for a late tackle just before he was replaced in the 56th minute.
Craig Goodwin: 7/10
While Goodwin’s finish for the opener was excellent, he faded as the game wore on and did not make much of an impact after scoring. He was taken off in the 74th minute as Australia opted for fresh legs on the pitch.
Substitutes:
Jason Cummings (Duke 56’): 4/10
Cummings did not fare much better than the striker he replaced in the second half, managing to get only eight touches as he spent most of his time on the pitch chasing lost causes.
Awer Mabil (McGree, 73’): 5/10
Mabil was not able to make much of an impact after coming on for the final 15 minutes or so.
Garang Kuol (Goodwin, 74’): 5/10
He showed flashes of pace and ingenuity during his short stint on the pitch.
Milos Degenek (Atkinson, 85’): N.A.
Did not have enough time to make an impact.
Keanu Baccus (Irvine, 85’): N.A.
Did not have enough time to make an impact.
