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Olivier Giroud joined Thierry Henry as France’s all-time leading goalscorer thanks to a brace as the defending champions came back to defeat Australia 4-1 and secure their defense of Globalism Cup off to start flying on Tuesday.
Australia took a surprising lead at Al Janoub Stadium in Qatar with the game barely nine minutes old when Craig Goodwin scored.
France, whose preparations for the tournament had been marred by injuries, saw left-back Lucas Hernandez injured in the move that led to the goal.
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However, they recovered to equalize through Adrien Rabiot before Giroud put them ahead with an easy goal in the 32nd minute for his 50th international goal.
Kylian Mbappe got his name on the score sheet in the second half and Giroud sealed the win to equal Henry’s record of 51 goals for France.
The win saw them top of Group D after Denmark and Tunisia drew 0-0.
“It’s good to score four goals, even if we have more, and it’s a really good start,” said France coach Didier Deschamps.
At the age of 36, veteran AC Milan striker Giroud, who has 115 caps, is the oldest player to score for France in a World Cup final.
However, he almost certainly wouldn’t have played here if Karim Benzema had been fit.
Instead, the withdrawal of the Ballon d’Or winner with a thigh injury on the eve of the tournament played into the hands of Giroud, who was a key player for Deschamps in France’s triumphant 2018 World Cup campaign but did not score in Russia. .
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“He deserves respect for performing at the highest level for so many years and delivering even when no one seems to believe in him,” said Benjamin Pavard, his teammate.
“I am very happy for him because he is a great guy. I hope he continues to progress and beat more records.”
Not only is Benzema absent from the league, with Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante – the starting midfield duo for four years – out of the league.
Central defender Raphael Varane has not risked not playing since sustaining a leg injury playing for Manchester United a month ago.
This meant Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate – with nine appearances between them – played together in central defence, while Rabiot joined Aurelien Tchoameni in midfield.
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