FIFA World Cup 2022: Giroud, Mbappe help France beat Australia 4-1

France showed it can cope without its star striker at the World Cup. In Karim Benzemas absence, Kylian Mbappe scored one and set up the second of Olivier Giroud’s two goals to help the defending champions beat Australia 4-1 on Tuesday.

Giroud equalled Thierry Henry’s national record of 51 goals with a header from Mbappe’s cross in the 71st minute. Giroud, who failed to score at the last World Cup but did find the net at the 2014 tournament, can break Henry’s record when France faces Denmark on Saturday.

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“It’s not just about chasing records but what he always does on the field,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “He’s a very important player for us.”

Moments before that strike, Mbappe headed in Ousmane Dembele’s cross from the right to start this World Cup as he finished the last with a goal. He knelt with one hand behind his back and his finger on his forehead in a new celebration. Deschamps joked that Mbappe could now become even more lethal. “He always dreams about scoring headers, so if he starts doing that hell be even more dangerous,” Deschamps said, cracking a smile. “I knew he would be ready tonight because this is his competition.”

Craig Goodwin gave Australia the lead when he turned in winger Mathew Leckie’s cross in the ninth minute. France midfielder Adrien Rabiot equalized with a powerful header in the 27th and set up Giroud’s first goal shortly after. “It’s great for our momentum and confidence to have turned things around,” Giroud said. “Even though we could have scored more we combined well.

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France was playing without the injured Benzema, who was ruled out of the World Cup last week. The Socceroos were pumped up and the green-and-gold Aussie fans were loving it. They even mocked Mbappe with chants of ‘Who are ya? Who are ya?’ after he lost the ball dribbling down the left. That’s as good as it got for them. Theo Hernandez curled in a cross for Rabiot to score his first World Cup goal four years after refusing to go on France’s standby list in case of injuries. He even emailed France coach Didier Deschamps to be taken off the list and was dropped from the national team for two years.

Mexico, Poland play out 0-0 draw

Robert Lewandowski’s second-half penalty attempt was saved by Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, leaving Poland to settle for a 0-0 draw on Tuesday. It was Lewandowskis first penalty miss for the national team.

Poland’s all-time leading scorer with 76 goals remains without a World Cup goal. Lewandowski was awarded the penalty following a VAR review after Hector Moreno got hold of his shirt and pulled him down. Ochoa, playing in his fifth World Cup, came up yelling in celebration after his stop, sending the crowd into chants of Memo! While Mexico dominated possession, Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny turned away all three of El Tris shots on goal. The scoreless draw was a good result for Argentina, which was upset by Saudi Arabia 2-1 in an earlier Group C match.

Tunisia holds Denmark 0-0

Arab teams are making an impact at the first World Cup in the Middle East. Tunisia held European Championship semifinalist Denmark to a 0-0 draw Tuesday, three hours after Saudi Arabia beat Argentina in a shocking upset.

Before a stadium filled almost entirely with its red-clad supporters, Tunisia likely deserved more but an expert save shortly before halftime by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel helped Denmark preserve the draw. Having already gone down to the grass after Tunisia broke through the defense, Schmeichel stuck his hand up to deflect a shot from Issam Jebali, who plays his club ball in Denmark for Odense. It was just the sort of save that the keeper’s father, former Manchester United great Peter Schmeichel, used to pull off.

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The match marked Christian Eriksen’s return to a major tournament less than a year and a half after his cardiac arrest with Denmark at Euro 2020. Assuming his customary playmaker position, Eriksen produced a dangerous long-distance shot on goal in the second half that Tunisia goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen had to bat away. And on the ensuing corner, Denmark hit the post. Tunisia also survived the chance of a last-minute penalty for Denmark but the referee ruled to play on after a video review for a possible handball. Denmark has been one of the most outspoken critics of the tournament in Qatar and during the pre-match warmup its players wore all black long-sleeve shirts over their red game jerseys to mourn migrant workers who died building infrastructure for soccer’s biggest event.

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