World Cup 2022 LIVE: France vs Australia team news and line-ups from Group D game in Qatar – reigning champions begin title defence

“Take Karim Benzema out of the Real Madrid side last season and it is entirely uncontroversial to suggest they would not have won La Liga or the Champions League; not without his 44 goals in 46 games. Remove him from the France team and there is a case to say their chances of winning the World Cup are greater.

“It is an argument based on history rather than individual quality, admittedly: French history, in particular. The peculiarity of their two triumphant campaigns is that neither contained a goal from the main No 9. Benzema scored three goals in 2014 and France exited in the quarter-finals. Stephane Guivarc’h failed to score in 1998 – indeed he ended his international career with a lone goal – and France won the World Cup. Olivier Giroud did not even muster a shot on target in 2018, yet he was the selfless foil as Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe scored four times apiece. Glory went to France.”

Here’s another great piece from Richard Jolly: He makes the case for France’s chances of lifting the trophy being better without the injured Benzema…

“Few expected that the first four-game day of this World Cup would end with Saudi Arabia sitting prettiest in Group C but that is the upshot after one of the most famous upsets in the tournament’s history and, to follow up, this far more forgettable stalemate. A goalless draw between Mexico and Poland had little of the drama witnessed in Lusail earlier on Tuesday, but it would not quite be a World Cup without at least one moment of Guillermo Ochoa heroics.

“The Mexico goalkeeper stole the show, as he usually does, spectacularly denying Robert Lewandowski from the penalty spot at the start of the second half. Ochoa added to the catalogue of memorable saves that he has accumulated since debuting at this tournament eight years ago, while adding Poland to Brazil and Germany on the list of opponents that he has frustrated on this grandest of stages.”

Here’s Mark Critchley in Qatar with our Mexico vs Poland match report:

So, France are out to avoid the recent curse of defending World Cup champions exiting in the group stage.

Here’s Richard Jolly, in Qatar, on that interesting trend:

Again, here’s how Group D’s other fixture played out at the Qatar World Cup today:

One more game to come at the Qatar World Cup today: France vs Australia in Group D, where Denmark drew 0-0 with Tunisia earlier.

Here are our player ratings from this game!

1. Saudi Arabia; 3 points, goal difference +1

4. Argentina; 0 points, GD -1

This result means Saudi Arabia are atop Group C after the first round of fixtures!

Their shock 2-1 win over Argentina earlier today has them on 3 points and Lionel Messi’s team on zero, while Mexico and Poland are on one point apiece.

Full-time: It ends goalless in Group C!

90+6 mins: A really deft move out from the back for Poland ends with a wild shot, when there were better options on.