Soccer-France beat Australia 4-1 in opener as Giroud equals scoring record

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group D - France v Australia - Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar - November 22, 2022 France's Olivier Giroud celebrates scoring their fourth goal with teammates REUTERS/Paul Childs

AL WAKRAH, Qatar (Reuters) - France started their World Cup title defence in style with a 4-1 comeback win against Australia on Tuesday, with Olivier Giroud scoring two goals to become Les Bleus' joint all-time top scorer.

Giroud netted before and after the break to take his tally to 51 goals, matching Thierry Henry's mark. He scored either side of a Kylian Mbappe goal after Adrien Rabiot had levelled for France following Craig Goodwin's shock early opener.