Olivier Giroud joined Thierry Henry as France's all-time leading goalscorer with two goals in France's 4-1 win over Australia on Tuesday as the world champions got their title defence off to a flyer.
Australia took a shock lead at Al Janoub Stadium when Craig Goodwin scored after just nine minutes.
To make matters worse for Les Bleus, left-back Lucas Hernandez was injured in the buildup and had to be helped off the pitch before being substituted with what looked a serious knee injury, which the French football federation confirmed had ruled him out of the rest of the tournament.
However, they recovered to equalise through Adrien Rabiot before Giroud put them ahead with an easy finish in the 32nd minute for his 50th international goal.
Kylian Mbappe got his name on the scoresheet in the second half and Giroud sealed the win to equal Henry's record tally of 51 goals for France.
The win leaves them top of Group D after Denmark and Tunisia drew 0-0.
"I don't know if he was thinking about the record, he focuses on what he does on the pitch," said France coach Didier Deschamps.
"He's very effective, it's great for him, he's very useful the way he links up with the team."
France v Australia ratings
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FRANCE PLAYER RATINGS: Hugo Lloris – 6. Hard for him to save Goodwin’s opener. Scrambled as the ball hit his post. More settled in the second half as the defending champions had a winning start. AFP -
Lucas Hernandez – NA. Floored in the run up to the Australia opener after nine minutes and was carried off the pitch. A sad sight. EPA -
Dayot Upamecano – 7. Played slightly out of position to accommodate Konate. Got on the ball more than any other player on the pitch. Strong at the back after the early wobble. AFP -
Ibrahima Konate – 7. Started alongside Upcamecano for the first time for France. In their final Bundesliga season together at RB Leipzig (2020/21), they never lost a game in which they both started. Is the same run now starting for France? EPA -
Benjamin Pavard – 5. Woeful as he didn’t see Goodman move into space to score Australia’s opener. Out of position as Australia headed against the post on 45. Getty -
Aurelien Tchouameni – 8. Brought balance. Won every tackle and interception. Flawless. AP -
Antoine Griezmann – 7. Up against a very hard-working and motivated defence. Shot low and wide after 42 as France went through the gears and started to dominate. Effort cleared off the line on 66. EPA -
Adrien Rabiot – 8. Headed France level after 26, a well worked move. Set up France’s second. In form for Juventus and now France. EPA -
Ousmane Dembele – 8. A danger with the ball as he is for Barcelona. Balls into Griezmann, but his best was a cross for Mbappe’s header which gave France a 3-1 cushion. AFP -
Olivier Giroud – 9. The 36-year-old sidefooted France 2-1 up with their second goal in five minutes - his 50th goal for his country. Worked hard to free up space for others. Did a bicycle kick, got France’s fourth, a header on 72 which saw him surrounded by teammates. Reuters -
Kylian Mbappe – 9. Difficult to stop with his speed and running. Set up Griezmann with a shot on 42. Acceleration and technique are faultless – apart from when he missed an easy 45th minute chance. Deserved his goal to make it 3-1, his 12th goal in his last 11 France games. Set up Giroud for the fourth with a cross. Sensational. Reuters -
SUBS: Theo Hernandez (Hernandez 12’) – 8. On for his brother. Strong bringing the ball out of possession, but also sloppy in losing the ball leading to a 21st minute Australia effort. Super ball in for Rabiot’s equaliser. Perfect cross for Giroud’s overhead kick. AP -
Kingsley Coman (Dembele 76’) – 7. AFP -
Youssouf Fofana (Tchouameni 76’) – 7. AFP -
Jules Kounde (Pavard 89’) – N/A. AFP -
Marcus Thuram (Giroud 89’) – N/A. AFP -
AUSTRALIA PLAYER RATINGS: Mathew Ryan – 6. There was nothing he could do to stop any of France’s finishes for the goals, but he made a great save to keep out Konate’s header. AFP -
Nathaniel Atkinson – 4. Constantly stretched by Mbappe and showed resilience to try to keep up with him, but the defender’s poor touch allowed him to be pickpocketed for France’s second. Unable to stop Mbappe delivering the cross for Giroud’s second. Getty -
Harry Souttar – 6. Looked comfortable when on the ball and hit a brilliant pass out to Leckie for the opener. Defended well for large periods, especially when he put in a fantastic tackle on Mbappe. Unable to get across to stop Mbappe scoring his header. AP -
Kye Rowles – 6. Took charge with aggressive defending in the early stages to stop Mbappe’s cross and dispossess Dembele. Made an important block to stop a shot from the edge of the box then outdid that with a superb tackle to deny Mbappe. However, he let Mbappe get between him and Souttar for his goal. AP -
Aziz Behich – 5. Beaten in his first encounter with Dembele and was often helpless when the Frenchman ran at him. Griezmann also got behind him on a few occasions in the first half. Did brilliantly to clear Griezmann’s shot off the line but was then beaten by Dembele who crossed for Mbappe’s goal, then was outjumped by Giroud. Made a good burst forward in the final moments. Getty -
Riley McGree – 5. Showed a lack of quality in the early stages with a shocking shot and overhit pass but grew into the game by putting a shift in for the team and delivered an inviting cross for Jackson Irvine’s header before half time. Had a quiet second half. AP -
Aaron Mooy – 5. Moved the ball well for large periods of the first half and helped out defensively, notably putting in a good challenge on Rabiot. Struggled to make much of an impact in the second period and laboured towards the end. Booked for a lunge on Hernandez. Getty -
Jackson Irvine – 7. Rushed out to put in a superb tackle on Tchouameni and continued to defend aggressively all game. Unlucky to see his header hit the post. Booked for a cynical foul on Upamecano and was saved by his teammates after playing a poor pass as he tired. AFP -
Mathew Leckie – 6. Cut inside Lucas Hernandez and picked out Goodwin for the opener but was barged off by Theo soon after. His influence quickly dwindled in the first half as he stopped having the same impact going forward. Put in a good shift for the team during the second period. AFP -
Mitchell Duke – 5. Showed a willingness to help defensively and came close with an audacious strike from range. However, a potential Australia move broke down due to his poor pass attempt as he faded fairly quickly. Booked for an overzealous tackle on Dembele after a poor touch let him down. EPA -
Craig Goodwin – 7. Got a reaction when he went in on Pavard with an early tackle and inspired a very different one from the Australian supporters when he scored the opener with a composed finish. Initially helped Behich defensively but struggled to do that as the first half went on. Showed discipline in the second period. Getty -
SUBS: Jason Cummings (Duke 56’) – 5. Worked hard but often found himself either chasing shadows or being overpowered by the Frenchmen around him. Came close to blocking Lloris’ clearance. Sprayed a nice pass out to Behich in the final moments. AP -
Awer Mabil (McGree 73’) – N/R. Offered very little going forward and left Behich exposed at times. EPA -
Garang Kuol (Goodwin 73’) – N/R. Tried to find Cummings after a promising burst but was dispossessed by Hernandez when he next tried to beat the full-back. AP -
Keanu Baccus (Irvine 85’) – N/R. Put in plenty of work to help his tiring teammates but his attempted pass through was overhit. AFP -
Milos Degenek (Atkinson, 85’) – N/R. Showed a slight lack of awareness when he headed the ball behind under no pressure. Held Mbappe up and won a foul off him. AFP
At the age of 36, veteran AC Milan striker Giroud, who has 115 caps, is the oldest player to score for France at a World Cup.
Yet he almost certainly would not have been playing here had Karim Benzema been fit.
Instead, the withdrawal of the Ballon d'Or winner with a thigh injury on the eve of the tournament has played into the hands of Giroud, who was a key player for Deschamps in France's triumphant 2018 World Cup campaign but didn't score in Russia.
"On a personal level, I couldn't have hoped for more," Giroud told reporters.
"It's a great source of pride and I don't intend to stop here. I hope to continue in the competition to help the team achieve our goal. Always taking one game at a time, getting stronger."
