Socceroos smashed in World Cup opener

1 year ago 87

DOHA: For 18 glorious minutes, Australian shot was backmost connected the biggest stage.

Until it wasn't, arsenic France scored 4 times without effect to tally distant with a 4-1 win.

When Craig Goodwin's effort deed the backmost of the nett successful beforehand of France's halfway enactment radical and stunned them into silence, who would person thought the lucifer would devolve into a concern wherever with 15 minutes to go, Australian fans would beryllium fearful of their worst-ever World Cup loss?

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Rabiot equalises for France

The extremity was well-crafted, arsenic Mat Leckie's archetypal and 2nd touches were sublime to instrumentality him astir Lucas Hernandez (who was past subbed disconnected with an wounded and replaced by his brother, of each people) and provide the assist, and erstwhile Mitch Duke's 20-yarder went wide with Hugo Lloris apt beaten, tails were good and genuinely up.

After all, Saudi Arabia had done it earlier successful the time - truthful wherefore not Australia?

But wherever the Saudis had been compact and, much importantly, competent successful that daze triumph implicit Argentina, intelligence mistakes rapidly began to creep successful for the Aussies arsenic some a imaginable triumph and gully faded into memory.

Adrien Rabiot's equaliser was wholly preventable, arsenic helium was someway near unmarked from a threatening walk into the area, before the 2nd was downright infuriating for Graham Arnold.

Right backmost Nathaniel Atkinson had drawn arguably the hardest duty successful satellite shot - handling Kylian Mbappe one-on-one - and portion the PSG megastar had gotten the amended of him a fewer times, nary of those had led to a goal.

Instead, Atkinson was caught needlessly connected the shot by Rabiot, who would play a one-two with Mbappe and past rotation a walk crossed extremity to springiness Olivier Giroud a tap-in.

Perhaps the crippled would person ended otherwise if Jackson Irvine's header close earlier fractional clip had deed the station and gone in, alternatively of bouncing clear. But it's unlikely, fixed the question of chances France created.

Socceroos daze World Champs with Goodwin goal

Such was their expectations of triumph aft taking the lead, French fans were launching Mexican waves astir the tract wrong a infinitesimal oregon truthful of being successful beforehand - and if that were arrogance, it was proven justified with Mbappe and Giroud some scoring headers that again were much down to miscommunications astatine the backmost than thing else.

Instead it's backmost to the drafting committee with Tunisia waiting successful 4 days' time, and a upland of mistakes to hole up.

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