France hammer Australia 4-1 to show they are still team to beat even without missing stars

The world champions, shaken by injury and shorn of premium players, are up and running regardless.

On Tuesday, France began the defence of the crown they captured in the Moscow rain four and a half years ago, reeling still from a host of absentees to their 2022 crew, but then moved through the gears to see off Australia.

Perhaps they were stunned into action at Al Janoub Stadium. For Australia, to the surprise of many, scored first.

On nine minutes, Mathew Leckie squared across the French penalty area for Craig Goodwin to convert high beyond opposing captain Hugo Lloris.

Coming on the same day that Saudi Arabia upset Argentina with a victory for the ages, surely lightning could not strike twice? It didn’t.

Clearly keen to avoid a similar embarrassment, France hit back, twice in five minutes, either side of the half hour.

Substitute Theo Hernandez – his brother Lucas Hernandez looked to have badly injured his knee and could not continue – crossed perfectly for Adrien Rabiot, who headed home.

Rabiot, maybe in the side only because N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba had fitness issues and did not make the squad, then became the provider.

Nathaniel Atkinson was robbed of possession on the Australia right, Kylian Mbappe flicked to Rabiot, who rolled across the ball for Olivier Giroud to tap home.

It was his 50th international goal; one behind France's all-time leading goalscorer, Thierry Henry.

In first-half injury time, Mbappe should have made it three, but with the goal gaping, uncharacteristically failed to prod home Antoine Griezmann’s centre.

Then, Australia struck the woodwork, with McGree crossing to Jackson Irvine, whose awkwardly executed header glanced off the upright.

HOW FRANCE QUALIFIED FOR WORLD CUP 2022: (Group D) March 24, 2021. France 1 (Griezmann 19') Ukraine 1 (Sydorchuk 57'): The world champions took a deserved lead courtesy of a fine Antoine Griezmann finish, only for the Ukraine to equalise via a big deflection that wrong-footed goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. France attacker Olivier Giroud said: "When you don't score the second goal against a team defending very well with determination ... then it's hard." AFP
March 28, 2021. Kazakhstan 0 France 2 (Dembele 19', Malyy og 44'): Barcelona attacker Ousmane Dembele put France on their way to a first victory of the campaign following good work from Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial. A headed own goal completed the victory. Manager Didier Deschamps said: “It’s a good result even if we could have won by more goals ... the only regret here was that we didn’t take our chances in the second half." AFP
March 31, 2021. Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 France 1 (Griezmann 60'): Hugo Lloris produced several key saves as France secured a narrow win thanks to Antoine Griezmann's second-half goal. Griezmann said: "It was a difficult game. We had a bit of fatigue and a bit of trouble playing against five at the back. We know people expect things from us in every game." EPA
September 1, 2021. France 1 (Griezmann 39') Bosnia 1 (Dzeko 36'): Another Griezmann goal earned 10-man France a point after Inter Milan's Edin Dzeko had put Bosnia in front. Griezmann had re-joined Atletico Madrid from Barcelona less than 24 hours earlier, while Jules Kounde was sent off for the hosts. Deschamps said: " It is obviously harder with 10 men. We had some chances but it is not the result we were looking for." AFP
September 4, 2021 Ukraine 1 (Shaparenko 44') France 1 (Martial 50'): Anthony Martial bundled in a close-range equaliser for only his second international goal - and first since 2016 - as the world champions' stuttering World Cup qualifying campaign continued. "It was much better in the second half and we have regrets in the first as we conceded the goal just after missing a chance," said Deschamps. Reuters
September 7, 2021. France 2 (Griezmann 25, 53') Finland 0: A Griezmann double took the striker level with Michel Platini on 41 goals for his country, leaving him 10 behind all-time top scorer Thierry Henry and five short of Olivier Giroud. Captain Lloris said: “It’s not easy to stay at the top level and Antoine has done it for many years now. He’s in the top three scorers of all-time for France and soon will have 100 caps." Reuters
November 13, 2021. France 8 (Mbappe 6', 12', 32', 87', Benzema 55', 59', Rabiot 75', Griezmann pen 84') Kazakhstan 0: Kylian Mbappe notched his first hat-trick for France as the reigning world champions secured their place at next year's World Cup in Qatar in style. It was the first hat-trick by a France player in a competitive international since Dominique Rocheteau in 1985. "A World Cup is a dream, an aim, it's everything and ... We're going over there to win it," Mbappe said. AFP
November 16, 2021. Finland 0 France 2 (Benzema 66', Mbappe 76'): Substitute Karim Benzema combined with Mbappe for the opening goal while the prolific PSG striker followed on from his four against Kazakhstan with another in Helsinki. "We wanted to finish on a high and we're happy we did it," said Benzema. "Now we're looking forward to the World Cup. With the team we have it's natural to think about [winning] it." AFP

It was as close as Graham Arnold’s men would get. After the break Mbappe turned on the afterburners. Having begun to torment his rivals, on 68 minutes the forward found his way through.

The Paris Saint-Germain star, stationed on the left, had flashed a cross-cum-shot over to the opposite flank, but stayed alive to meet Ousmane Dembele’s inch-perfect cross and head home.

Now heavily involved in seemingly everything, it was Mbappe’s delightful cross that have Giroud a gift to pull level with Henry.

The towering AC Milan striker obliged, powering his header beyond Mat Ryan in the Australia goal. Ryan and teammates still had at least 19 minutes to survive.

They were grateful, then, that Mbappe miscontrolled when he played in, and that Didier Deschamps withdrew Giroud shortly before the end, despite him being on a hat-trick.

And they were grateful to Ryan, who saved excellently from Ibrahima Konate.

France had to settle for four, just as they did in the rain in Moscow in 2018.

Tellingly, they showed they are more than Kante and Pogba, Presnel Kimpembe, Christopher Nkunku and Karim Benzema – the recent Ballon d’Or winner. Much more, in fact.

Even if Australia were poor. And especially, because the world champions have Mbappe.

France hammer Australia 4-1 to show they are still team to beat even without missing stars

Defending champions launch World Cup campaign with easy Group D victory as Mbappe and Giroud dazzle