For 20 minutes Australia led the World Cup holders France, before the class of Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud destroyed the Socceroos 4-1 in their World Cup opener in Qatar.
Giroud, the AC Milan striker formerly of Arsenal and Chelsea, scored twice to take his international tally to 51 and equal the French record held by Thierry Henry.
It was a devastating occasion for the Socceroos, who shockingly took a fifth minute lead through a goal of real quality. From then on all the flair and fizz flowed from the French, particularly the feet of Mbappe as the Paris Saint-Germain superstar gave Nathaniel Atkinson, who plays for Heart of Midlothian in Scotland, a torrid time.
“It’s been a tough night for Atkinson,” said Harry Kewell after Mbappe scored the fourth. “It’s going to be one he won’t forget against one of the world’s best players. It’s a tough ask but welcome to world class football.”
The earlier 0-0 draw between Tunisia and Denmark in Group D left Australia adrift at the bottom of the standings through one match.
Australia stunned France in the fifth minute with a goal of high quality. Mat Leckie brought down a long ball from Harry Soutar on the right and skinned a flailing Lucas Hernandez, who was forced off with a knee injury after tumbling on the turf.
Leckie’s curled cross behind the French defence was met by Goodwin who swept his shot into the roof of the net.
“Australia started really well. Not only the pressure on the ball, but also when we had the ball we were confident with the ball and comfortable on the ball,” said 2006 Socceroos goal scorer John Aloisi on the SBS coverage.
“It was a well deserved goal for the start of the game, the way that we played out and were playing with the ball. It’s a great ball from Harry Souttar and Leckie does exceptionally well. We’ve got bodies in the box. That ball was unbelievable from Leckie but don’t underestimate that finish.”
The French players looked shocked as the Socceroos mobbed Goodwin and coach Graham Arnold punched the air in delight.
Mitch Duke almost doubled the lead, fizzing a long range effort just wide of Hugo Lloris’s post with the Tottenham keeper well beaten.
(Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
Australia would have expected a backlash and it came through the speedy raids of Mbappe, terrorising Atkinson down the left, and Ousmane Dembele down the right.
Australia were being pinned back – Socceroos legend Kewell complaining in commentary that they had abandoned their early tactic of pushing in behind the French with early balls forward after taking the lead.
It was a recurring theme all game with Kewell saying the Socceroos looked “shy”.
France went level on 27 minutes when the Australian defence lost Adrien Rabiot in the box. The Socceroos cleared the initial corner from Antoine Griezmann but as it was swung back in Rabiot had too much space and time to head past Mat Ryan.
Just four minutes later France were ahead and it came from a moment of naive and undisciplined defending. Ryan’s short goal kick was played by Jackson Irvine out wide to Atkinson who had a shocking first touch. The ball was picked off by Mbappe who passed quickly to a surging Rabiot. He picked out Giroud for an easy tap in and his 50th goal for France.
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“The two goals were completely avoidable,” said former Socceroo goalkeeper Mark Bosnich on SBS at halftime.
“They were under a lot of pressure here. Mat Ryan doesn’t need to play that as a short goal kick. All he needs to do is say to his defence ‘listen, we’ve been under pressure’ and and knock one long.
“As soon as you put them under pressure like that in that situation when they’re tired you’re asking for trouble.”
Aloisi added: “A lot of people will start criticising Atkinson for losing the ball, but he lost the ball out in a wide area. How was our positioning behind him? Don’t run past the ball, just give him that cover.”
Another former Socceroo, Craig Foster, said Australia needed to be able to show the quality required to play out from defence, but Bozza doubled down on his pragmatism.
“The vast majority of the first time I saw him Nathaniel Atkinson, running towards his own goal against arguably the best player in the world at this time,” said Bosnich.
“Coming back to my point, as a goalkeeper, I’m thinking we’ve been under a lot of pressure. Okay, it’s not the time to do this. There’s no need to do that.”
France should have gone further ahead on 45 minutes when Griezmann flicked a delicious square ball from the right and Mbappe was charging through into the six yard box. Instead of driving the ball into the net with a header he volleyed, incredibly, over the bar.
Australia almost levelled just before the break when Riley McGree stood up an excellent cross from the left byline and Irvine’s header bounced down and agonisingly off the outside of the post.
“We can’t let our concentration slip,” said Kewell. “The key is pick up the second ball and if we can pounce on them we’ve got a chance.”
Kewell got the concentration he desired but the quality gulf was evident. Giroud put a spectacular volley just wide of Ryan’s post while desperate spoiling defence carried Australia to the hour mark without further concession.
Then Mbappe got the goal he’d been striving for. His pass across the box was retrieved on the right by Dembele who delivered a peach back into the centre of Australia’s six yard box.
Mbappe snuck in front of Souttar and flicked in his header for a deserved third.
“We could see that coming,” said Kewell.
Giroud added a fourth and the game was put to bed well before the finish.
“It’s disappointing because we started so well. The confidence was flying but that little lack of concentration, maybe shyness of not playing forward or aggressive allowed France to take complete control and play to their tempo.”
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold was downcast.
“Yeah look at the end of the day they’re a quality side. They’re world champions for a reason,” said Arnold.
“I was happy with the first half. Second half we ran out of legs a bit, but that’s the type of level these (French) players play at.
“We’ll pick the boys up for sure. They should be proud of their effort, the commitment they gave. But again, they are the world champions for a reason.”
Australia next face Tunisia on Saturday night (9pm AEDT) before a meeting with Denmark next Thursday.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
If I was involved at the professional level here a lot more players would be being produced. What keeps the game progressing here is the old boys club at A-league level. The old players, the agents, the PFA, the media are running the joint and cant be trusted .
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
I like your optimism, Mooy is a problem only when he is on the field.
Chris Lewis
Roar Guru
good points chris
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Not Troisi I mean to say Valeri. Valeri just topped Culina as the best of all time distance per minute in world cups but played two half matches to Culinas full matches.
WMM
Guest
@ Brainstrust…..raging are you mate ?? Keep drinking the koolade and keep deluding yourself over nearly results of the past and exhibition games. Hopefully you are no where near the game at the professional level in Australia because it’s clowns like you with your over inflated opinion of the standard of our game that keeps the game from progressing. Keep up the good work Pep :thumbup:
chris
Guest
Brains this is the mantra of the usual A League knockers. 1. When A league team beats Euro team = Euro team are here for a holiday. 2. When Euro teams beats A League team = See how bad A league is? Rinse and repeat every single time a team from Europe plays here.
chris
Guest
Our sporting "golden generation" of the 50's and 60s coincided with the fact that Europe was recovering from a world war. Sport infrastructure didn't exist and the lack of young men also impacted their development.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Again spot on, look at India in Cricket, I think the best team in the world (Test match) the professionalism of the IPL has improved their fielding, batting & bowling, not to mention tactical nous. In football you look at all the top club teams & even nations & see how men of colour.
chris
Guest
Hold the presses! Scoop Adio says we don't need funding to be competitive on the world stage! All that money that France, Spain, Germany etc put into their youth academies is all wasted! Adio has cherry picked an example from 20 years ago and there you go!
Sunshine Tiger
Roar Rookie
Haha too big and too strong , Arnie was used to that being Australia when they were beating up on the island countries in Oceania , The island countries have improved but Arnie us still living in those times
coolncold
Roar Rookie
* France were having a training session with Socceroos. * Many Socceroos in that match were inexperienced, sub par and not having fighting spirit. * Ultimately, Arnold is responsible. Once he talked about that, him sitting in the stand in the match of Socceroos vs France in 2018, he felt Socceroos were waiting to lose, he would choose to attack. However, in the match in the morning of 23 Nov 2022 AEDT, that attacking stance did not happen. * This morning we can see that why Socceroos had to play 4th round in the qualifying stage as both Japan and Saudi Arabia have got a win against the world's best teams. * There is no other excuses, Arnold has to leave. There should be a better coach.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
2010 the golden generation was largely a liability, Grella Chipperfield were total liabilities. Even Moore and Neill they did some weird stuff against Germany. The players that carried Australia at 2010 Culina, Troisi, Carney , Holman.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
I have seen some competitive games in the A-league that are a lot less competitive than the exhibition games. You need to start watching the local game and the undercurrents in the A-league are unlike any other league in the world, its a unique league with a lot of bizarre things happening. Celtic take every game seriously. SYdney didnt take the game that seriously and won. The reason Sydney won was because Donachie wasnt there. Brattan and Caballo played normally without doing any weird stuff and Burgess started a game. Barcelona exhibition game, Barcelona played harder than the All Stars, they were just undone by pressing players carelessly without knowing who they were, Rodwell looked NPL standard against the press, Cumming similiar, if Mclaren had been there as well the All Stars would have been a complete failure. Just from the look of your post I think you more a fool than a eurosnob thats just my impression. Grant was one of the best in qualifying and its a complete mystery why he isnt there.
Chris Lewis
Roar Guru
I feel sport in much more global now. A lot of poor countries have incentives to do well in athletics. Hence, expect to see more Indians and others do well in the future. In past decades, athletics was dominated by the developed countries in these amateur days. I am amazed we now have two top 8 1500m male runners.
Punter
Roar Rookie
See posts above, compare Athletics & Tennis now to where we were in 50s & 60s.
Chris Lewis
Roar Guru
yes, track was big in 1950s and 1960s. I expect that was because there were fewer sports of interest and Australia was pretty damn good winning medals and breaking world records. Interclub, as it was in 1970s and early 1980s, has certainly dropped of dramatically so less likely to see good athletes some through.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Chris I think you hit the nail on the head, but I want to highlight one big point. Australia had a pretty good culture in Athletics in the 50s & the 60s with Landy, Clarke, Elliott, Mathews, Norman, Cuthbert, Strickland, then the whole world got more professional & Australia now struggles, but we still get the odd one in Freeman & Pearson. Even look at tennis in the 50s & 60s to now. Now your biggest point is every country (in athletics) is trying to win the Football World cup. Australia came 3rd in qualifying to Japan & Saudi Arabia. Japan just beat powerhouse & 4 times world cup winners Germany. & Saudi Arabia beat 2 times world cup winner with Messi in the Argentina side. Have a look at the teams in the world cup, how many of these countries do we compete with in other sports we play? Look at some of the best players in the world to get a better idea of what I mean; Salah Egypt Mane Senegal Marez Algeria Davies Canada Valverde Uruguay Harlaand Norway Lewanowski Poland De Bruyne Belguim Son Sth korea Modric Croatia Van Dijk Holland Ronaldo Portugal Messi Argentina Kane England Mbappe & Benzema France Neymar Brazil Neuer Germany Gavi Spain
Chris Lewis
Roar Guru
sorry, i misunderstood.
Ad-O
Guest
And quit your whining about funding. Did the Golden Generation need funding? We only had a guy that funded the entire professional football setup in Australia out of his own pocket in Lowy but the geniuses on here and in the media hounded him out of the game.
WMM
Guest
This current team is very very far from the golden generation, so whilst it good to point out previous stats, let’s not get it twisted either. That’s how delusion sets in. Let’s be honest, as much as it hurts, getting pasted in this World Cup could end up being the best thing that ever happens to Australian football, because it could just be the catalyst needed to address the youth development issue that has plagued our country for years now….any positive results ( as much as I and the rest of us are yearning for ) will only paper over the cracks of what’s at the heart of the issue. Just look at Japan….multiple tiers of pro football, brilliant youth development and they’ve just done the Germans