FIFA World Cup Day 3: Australia put to the sword in France bloodbath
The Socceroos stunned the world with a thrilling start against France, but the world champs came roaring back after an “unforgivable” blunder.
Australia’s World Cup campaign is already on life support after France landed a 4-1 knockout blow in the Socceroos’ tournament opener on Wednesday morning.
The reigning world champions were razor sharp and they tore the Australian defence apart with the final four goals of the match after it had briefly looked like an almighty boilover was on the cards when Craig Goodwin put Australia ahead early.
By the time French superstar Kylian Mbappe had finished terrorising the Aussie defence, Goodwin’s goal suddenly seemed a distant memory.
Adrien Rabiot and Olivier Giroud both scored in five minutes of fury that put France up 2-1 at halftime.
It turned into a bloodbath in the second half with Mbappe running riot over the powerless Aussie defence.
Giroud completed a double in the second half and Mbappe also got on the scoresheet after squandering a number of chances that could have made the scoreline embarrassing for Australia.
The Aussie defensive line looked fragile at best against the might of the star-studded French attack — and it was made so much worse by the added pressure Australia put on itself with sloppy losses of possession and repeated failures to get into a solid formation at the back.
Those mistakes were particularly obvious in the earlier goals.
Socceroos legend Mark Bosnich told SBS at half time the goals were “completely avoidable”.
Aussie football expert Daniel Garb posted on Twitter the second goal was an “unforgivable error” when France was given the ball back deep in the Socceroos’ half.
Socceroos legend Harry Kewell said it ended up being an “easy” win for France as Australia’s tactics failed to put pressure on their opposition.
“I just think if we had got them on the back foot, got the back line of France turning, we could have just caused them a little bit more trouble,” he said on SBS.
“And it has turned out to be such an easy game for France.”
Socceroos greats Mark Bosnich and John Aloisi were also scathing of Australia’s tactical mistakes.
Defender Nathaniel Atkinson had a nightmare night at the office and was repeatedly forced to defend Mbappe without any help from teammates.
Atkinson was eventually substituted in the 85th minute, but Aloisi said in commentary for SBS after the game that Arnold’s changes came too late when the Socceroos should have been looking for fresh legs to push up the pitch and put pressure on France as they played out of their own half.
Jackson Irvine (85th minute), Riley McGree (73rd), Craig Goodwin (74th) and Mitch Duke 56th) were the other players substituted in the second half.
Aloisi said: “Just questions around, in the second half, whether Graham could have changed the approach. The pattern of the game ultimately was already set.”
Mark Bosnich also criticised Arnold’s second half tactics: “Don’t you at some point say, hang on, we have to get higher up the park here?”
Aloisi said Australia let France “dominate” them by failing to stop France’s easy ball movement.
“I’m still pretty disappointed, so Arnie spoke after the game that he has to pick the boys up, and he will,” Aloisi said.
“He has to, because if I’m feeling that way, imagine how the players are feeling, because they got completely outclassed. We weren’t in the game after our goal. That was it, that was us done, and they completely dominated us and created chance after chance.
“We didn’t find a way, a solution. Arnie spoke about how he was happy with the first half. I would say happy with the first 15 minutes but after that they dominated us.”
Former England striker Chris Sutton also told the BBC: “Well talk about shooting yourselves in the foot, that is exactly what Australia do. They are careless in possession and Olivier Giroud is not going to miss from there”.
Socceroos fans had been dreaming of a path through to the knockout stages after Group D rivals Tunisia and Denmark earlier drew.
Australia’s next match on Saturday night against Tunisia at Al Janoub Stadium suddenly looms as must-win.
Arnold said after the match his first priority is getting his players ready for the Tunisia match.
“Look at the end of the day, they (France) are a quality side, they are world champions for a reason,” he said.
“I thought the first half, we did well. Second half, we ran out of legs a bit, but that’s the type of level of those players play out.
“We will pick the boys, for sure. They should be proud of their commitment, effort that they gave.”
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9.30am - Arnold defends under-fire Atkinson
Graham Arnold has come to the defence of wing back Nathaniel Atkinson after he was brutally caught out against Kylian Mbappe in the World Cup opener.
The PSG superstar was able to breeze by Atkinson on a number of occasions on Wednesday moring AEDT, however Arnold saw no major issues with the defender’s performance.
“The kid actually did decently well,” Arnold said in his post-game press conference.
“He did his best against one of the best in the world.
“(Matthew) Leckie and (Jackson) Irvine - the three of them got out there and helped (Atkinson in defence).
“How do you stop someone (Mbappe) so quick, it’s very difficult. It’s a great lesson for the kid and he’ll move on with it.”
7.40am — Joy turns to despair after France bombardment
Australia is now getting put to the sword by France — and Craig Goodwin’s 9th minute goal suddenly seems a distant memory.
Having peppered the box and squandering countless opportunities to extend their lead, Kylian Mbappe made it 3-1 with a header where he had been sandwiched between three Socceroos defenders.
The 67th minute goal was a hammer blow to the Aussies.
SBS commentator David Basheer described it as a “dagger into Australia”.
Mbappe made it 4-1 a few minutes later when he slotted in a perfect cross to hit Olivier Giroud.
Keeper Mat Ryan was helpless to stop Giroud’s second goal.
6.45am — France breaks Australia’s heart in five-minute misery
France has asserted its authority over Australia with two silky goals in the space of five minutes giving them a 2-1 lead after 32 minutes.
Australia had stunned the world champions with an early goal, but the Socceroos’ defence was finally cracked open in the 27th minute.
First it was Adrien Rabiot who headed past Mat Ryan on the back from a perfect cross in from Theo Hernandez.
Then Olivier Giroud, 36, became the oldest European player to score at a World Cup when he produced a nice strike to finish off the classy ball movement from Kylian Mbappe and Rabiot.
It should have been 3-1, but Mbappe inexplicably butchered an easy volley tap-in late in the first half. His shot deflected off his chin and sailed above keeper Mat Ryan.
Against the run of play, it could easily have been 2-2 after Jackson Irvine nearly headed in from 16-yards after making a dangerous run at the back post.
His header got past keeper Hugo Lloris, but it thumped against the woodwork.
6.12am — ‘OMG’: Socceroos score first against France
Socceroos star Craig Goodwin has put Australia ahead 1-0 against France in the 10th minute.
Despite being perennial underdogs against the reigning world champions — and despite France dominating the early exchanges — Australia scored first from a brilliant counter-attack led by Mathew Leckie.
Leckie turned French defender Lucas Hernandez inside out on the wing and delivered a perfect pass to the feet of Craig Goodwin in the box.
Goodwin thundered his half volley into the back of the net.
Former Socceroos players were happy with what they saw.
Unbelievable 👊 What a fantastic goal 💪🙌 Great composed start by the @Socceroos Let’s keep it going 🇦🇺#FIFAWorldCup#FRAAUS
— David Zdrilic (@Zdrila) November 22, 2022
OMG 😱 @Socceroos what a start!!!
— Rob Cornthwaite (@robcornthwaite) November 22, 2022
6.05am — France superstars ‘annihilating’ Socceroos
France were all over Australia right from kick-off with the reigning world champions getting multiple dangerous balls into the box in the opening few minutes, including a corner kick.
The most concerning moment came in the first minute when Kylian Mbappe crossed wide to Ousmane Dembele, who showed freakish speed to step around Aziz Behich — leaving the Socceroos defender barely able to stay on his feet.
Harry Kewell said: “The turn of speed there was excellent, annihilating Behich.”
5.50am — Harry Kewell likes Graham Arnold’s selection surprises
Graham Arnold has sprung a couple of surprises in his line-up for Australia’s game against France, with Riley McGree starting in midfield ahead of Ajdin Hrustic.
Mitch Duke starts up front, with Jamie Maclaren on the bench.
And for those who would just like a graphic... pic.twitter.com/t9IxEjuwGO
— Socceroos (@Socceroos) November 22, 2022
Socceroos legend Harry Kewell voiced his support for the selections made by the veteran coach. He said the selections of McGree and winger Craig Goodwin rewarded their recent form.
“Both players playing very well for their clubs but when I look at the team I see a good balance,” he told SBS.
“I see a lot of experience and a lot of energy and players who can create different moments. I see a good old-fashioned forward in Mitchell Duke and again I am excited about this and I want to see something exciting tonight.”
5am — Lewandowski penalty saved in scoreless draw
Robert Lewandowski suffered fresh World Cup misery as the Poland striker’s penalty was saved by Guillermo Ochoa in a 0-0 draw against Mexico.
Lewandowski has never scored at a World Cup and the Barcelona striker had admitted it would be a “huge dream” to finally get off the mark on the global stage.
Instead, the 34-year-old’s dream turned into a nightmare when he won a second-half penalty, only to see Ochoa deny him from the spot.
Lewandowski, Poland’s record scorer with 76 goals, has netted 18 times in 19 appearances for Barcelona, the club he joined in the close-season after bagging 344 goals in eight trophy-filled years at Bayern Munich.
Yet the World Cup has proved hellish for Lewandowski, with this latest goalless outing coming after he failed to score in Poland’s three games when they bowed out in the group stage four years ago.
Saudi Arabia’s stunning 2-1 win over Argentina earlier had blown open the race to progress to the last 16 from Group C.
But this was a frustrating draw for both teams, with Lewandowski wasting the best chance of a cagey game and Mexico ruing their failure to turn territorial dominance into goals.
2am — Shattering miss as Denmark, Tunisia draw
Denmark and Tunisia played out a scoreless draw in the second match of the day, though it wasn’t without its drama.
Each team was denied a potential penalty for handball at one stage, with the referee deciding the defenders in question had their arms in a natural position.
Tunisia came closest to scoring in the first half by at least getting the ball into the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
And while Denmark had the better of possession throughout, it never really looked like finding the final touch.
Midway through the second half, striker Andreas Cornelius had a golden chance as the ball fell into his path at the far post. He only managed to head it onto said post before the defence cleared it to safety.
Denmark and Tunisia play in the same group as Australia and France, who face each other later this morning, so the shared points between them present an opportunity for the Socceroos to capitalise.
Andreas Cornelius really missed from here. #DEN | #TUN | #FIFAWorldCuppic.twitter.com/5S83ilAEZN
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) November 22, 2022
Andreas Cornelius' miss... 😳 pic.twitter.com/GuNTNWWgTQ
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) November 22, 2022
12am — Sickening scene amid ‘unthinkable’ upset
Saudi Arabia have pulled off a World Cup upset commentator Martin Tyler has labelled “unthinkable” in a wild 2-1 thriller.
But the Asian powerhouse haven’t escaped without a brutal blow as defender Yasser Al-Shahrani was kneed in the head by his own goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais in a scary scene during injury time.
Al-Shahrani was left unconscious on the ground and stretchered off the field after the brutal moment as the Saudis successfully cleared the ball.
Al-Owais sat on his haunches as the medical staff looked into his teammate.
A-Leagues producer Sacha Pisani tweeted: “So much happening, the referee’s angle and concern for time wasting. But deeply troubling Saudi Arabia’s Al Shahrani was left motionless on the floor after a sickening blow to the head.
“Al Shahrani gave the thumbs up after being stretchered off but another disgraceful example of treatment around head injuries.
“Thankfully he’s okay. Even if referee was wary of time wasting, as we’ve seen at this tournament, they’ll just add on the time.”
Sports writer Joe Pantorno posted: “How that play wasn’t blown dead immediately is befuddling. Yasser Alshahrani was out cold.”
It was a sign of just how Saudi Arabia put their bodies on the line, turning the Argentinians away countless times late as the South Americans dominated every statistic except goals scored.
A worry for the Saudis in their next game will be the yellow card count, with six players getting booked as they threw everything at the Cup favourites.
Argentina took a 1-0 lead into the half-time break but should have been much further ahead after having three goals pulled back for offsides, but no one was expecting the start to the second half of the sides’ opening match of the tournament.
Saleh Al-Shehri equalised before Salem Al-Dawsari booted the world No. 51 Saudis into the lead within 10 minutes of the second stanza against the world No. 3 side.
“I almost can’t believe it,” Martin Tyler said in commentary.
Argentina have had twice the possession of the Saudis but have only a 10th minute penalty goal to show for it.
Code Sports’ Lachlan McKirdy wrote: “OH MY GOD WHAT IS GOING ON!? 2-1 Saudi Arabia!!”
SMH’s Jason Cadden added: “What the heck! Saudi Arabia is up 2-1 against Argentina after 58 mins.”
Incredibly, Saudi Arabia did enough to claim the win.
“This outcome was unthinkable,” Tyler said.
“Saudi Arabia have done it. Arguably the greatest achievement in the nation’s history.
“Argentina labelled favourites, joint favourite, second favourite, call it what you will but at the other end of the spectrum for the side that have beaten them here.”
11pm — Penalty goal ‘makes a mockery’ of World Cup
Argentina took the lead early in its game against Saudi Arabia, but it was not without controversy.
Argentina was awarded a penalty when VAR flagged a potential foul after Saud Abdulhamid hauled down Leandro Paredes in the box.
Lionel Messi stepped up in the 10th minute and easily slotted the penalty home to give his team an early lead and score in a fourth World Cup finals.
He became the first Argentina player to achieve that feat.
But fans were questioning the call, after an incident that looked worse was ignored in the England game last night.
England defender Harry Maguire was rugby tackled in the box against Iran, but the referee waved play on and VAR didn’t get involved.
The Daily Mail’s Jamie Phillips tweeted: “After the Harry Maguire challenge yesterday and the subsequent two penalties given to Iran and Argentina, I’m so confused over when grappling in the box is deemed a foul and when it isn’t.”
Nigerian journalist Ufuoma Egbamuno wrote: “The inconsistencies with referees gets on my nerves. England should have had one penalty early on yesterday. Same as one just given for Argentina.”
BBCs Wyre Davies added: “Ridiculous penalty for Argentina! Makes a mockery of the “rugby tackle” in the England game. If FIFA are consistent, fair enough but the Argentine player fell over looking for that.”
Argentina are one of the favourites for the World Cup and Saudi Arabia needed to stay with the South Americans to be any chance.
Since then, Messi was disallowed after being pinged offside by the sideline official, before Lautaro Martinez was also deemed to be offside by the VAR.
Martinez made it a third offside call minutes later, but it’s a sign of how dominant Argentina have been.
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