Giroud, Mbappé lift France to win

France showed it can cope without its star striker at the World Cup.

In Karim Benzema’s absence, Kylian Mbappé scored one and set up the second of Olivier Giroud’s two goals to help the defending champions beat Australia 4-1 on Tuesday in Al Wakrah, Qatar.

Giroud equaled Thierry Henry’s national record of 51 goals with a header from Mbappé’s cross in the 71st minute. Giroud, who failed to score at the last World Cup but did find the net at the 2014 tournament, can break Henry’s record when France faces Denmark on Saturday.

“It’s not just about chasing records but what he always does,” France coach Didier Deschamps said after the Group D game. “He’s a very important player for us.”

Moments before that strike, Mbappé headed in Ousmane Dembele’s cross from the right to start this World Cup as he finished the last — with a goal.

Craig Goodwin gave Australia the lead when he turned in winger Mathew Leckie’s cross in the ninth minute.

France midfielder Adrien Rabiot equalized with a powerful header in the 27th and set up Giroud’s first goal shortly after.

“It’s great for our momentum and confidence to have turned things around,” Giroud said.

France was playing without the injured Benzema, who was ruled out of the World Cup last week.

Injuries are hurting Deschamps’ team and now the coach could be without Lucas Hernandez — Theo’s older brother. He hurt his knee in the build up to Australia’s goal.

Ochoa save preserves draw: After Guillermo Ochoa had made one of the biggest penalty saves of his career — against Poland’s Robert Lewandowski, no less — his thoughts immediately turned to Mexico’s next opponent.

And who can blame him, because that next Group C game is against Argentina on Saturday.

Ochoa stopped Lewandowski’s second-half penalty to preserve a 0-0 draw with Poland in Doha.

If Mexico can also exploit Argentina’s vulnerabilities, the team will be in good position for the group finale against Saudi Arabia.

“From the start we knew we had a tricky group,” Ochoa said. “We wouldn’t underestimate any opponent. We have a tough opponent in the next game. But Mexico is also a tough team.”

Lewandowski is Poland’s all-time leading scorer with 76 goals, but he remains without one at the World Cup.

The Barcelona striker was awarded the penalty following a VAR review after Hector Moreno got hold of his shirt and pulled him down.

Ochoa, playing in his fifth World Cup, dived to make the stop, then came up yelling in celebration, sending the crowd into chants of “Memo!”

While Mexico dominated possession, Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny turned away all four of El Tri’s shots on goal.

Mexico has made it to the knockout round in the last seven World Cups, but the “quinto partido,” or fifth game, has eluded the team. El Tri’s best showing was reaching the quarterfinals in 1970 and 1986 as hosts.

Poland was making its second straight World Cup appearance. The team was eliminated in the group stage in 2018.

Comeback arrives at World Cup: Christian Eriksen was back playing a major tournament less than a year and a half after his cardiac arrest at the European Championship.

Eriksen started in his customary playmaker position for Denmark’s opening game at the World Cup against Tunisia in Group D and played the full 90 minutes of a 0-0 draw.

The 30-year-old Eriksen nearly won it for Denmark when he produced a dangerous long-distance shot on goal in the second half that Tunisia goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen had to bat away.

After Eriksen collapsed during Denmark’s opening Euro 2020 group game against Finland in June of last year, medics used a defibrillator to restart his heart as a horrified nation — and much of the soccer world — watched on as he lay lifeless on the field at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen.

Eriksen’s appearance at the World Cup is the latest step of a remarkable comeback that has already seen him return to elite soccer in the Premier League, first with London club Brentford and then Manchester United — showing he is still among the world’s best playmakers.

He made his national team comeback in March, scoring two minutes after coming on as a substitute in a 4-2 loss to the Netherlands. He also netted with a 25-yard shot against Croatia in the Nations League in September.

History made: Stephanie Frappart of France made soccer history as the the first woman to officiate a men’s World Cup match when she took the field as the fourth official in the game between Mexico and Poland.

Frappart, Japan’s Yamashita Yoshimi and Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga are the first women selected as referees for soccer’s biggest tournament. They were among the 36 total referees for the tournament in Qatar.

Frappart has already worked men’s games in World Cup qualifying, and the Champions League. She also handled the 2019 Women’s World Cup final, and refereed this year’s men’s French Cup final.