Olivier Giroud netted twice to become France’s joint record scorer as they fought back to put Australia to the sword, opening their World Cup defence with a 4-1 Group D win on Tuesday that silenced talk of a holders’ curse.
Australia had taken a stunning lead at Al Janoub Stadium when Craig Goodwin applied a super finish to Mathew Leckie’s cross after nine minutes, but France levelled when Adrien Rabiot headed home and Giroud’s tap-in gave them the halftime lead.
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Kylian Mbappe’s glancing header in the 68th minute was followed by Giroud’s 51st international goal three minutes later, drawing him level with Thierry Henry as France’s all-time top marksman.
