IMAGE: France’s Olivier Giroud celebrates with Ousmane Dembele after scoring their team’s second goal. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images
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.
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.
Didier Deschamps’ side, lead Group D after rivals Denmark and Tunisia drew 0-0 earlier on Tuesday.
36-year-old target man Giroud put the World Cup holders ahead at 2-1 with a tap-in after 32 minutes and added his second in the 71st to make the score 4-1 with a header from a Kylian Mbappe cross.
Drafted into the team to play his 115th international after Karim Benzema was ruled out of the tournament by injury on Saturday, Giroud equalled the record set by Henry in his 123-match international career from 1997 to 2010.
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