FIFA World Cup LIVE updates: Socceroos face France in Qatar opener

Key posts

  • Socceroos to give France ‘a run for our money’ in World Cup opener: Deschamps
  • Breaking news: Cristiano Ronaldo gone from Manchester United
  • ‘I’m in awe every day’: Why just being in Qatar is a win for the ‘Grey Wiggle’
  • Where to watch the Socceroos play France on Wednesday in Sydney
  • Where to watch the Socceroos play France in Melbourne
  • Who do you think will win this year’s world cup?
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How the other match in the Socceroos’ group fared

The Socceroos will be buoyed by the result in the earlier match in Group D with African side Tunisia holding Denmark to a 0-0 draw. Maybe the gap between the European big guns and the others is not so big this tournament.

Regardless, it will give Australia hope they can conjure a result against Tunisia in their second match on Saturday night (AEDT).

The other game overnight saw Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski spurn a second-half penalty as Poland were also held to a scoreless draw by Mexico.

You can read an update on both matches here.

Poland’s Robert Lewandowski misses a second-half penalty against Mexico.Credit:AP

Team news: Arnold names expected Australian line-up

Righto, not long from kick-off and team news is in.

We’ve already had two big omissions for both teams earlier this week with France’s Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema ruled out of the tournament, and Australia’s straight out baller Martin Boyle also succumbing to injury.

No great shocks for the Socceroos with Graham Arnold going for an expected line-up with Harry Souttar and Kye Rowles in the heart of defence.

Australia: Ryan; Behich, Rowles, Souttar, Atkinson; Irvine, Mooy, McGree; Goodwin, Duke, Leckie.

France: Lloris; Pavard, Upamecano, Konate, Lucas Hernandez; Rabiot, Tchouameni; Mbappe, Griezmann, Dembele; Giroud.

Even despite their injuries, anyone think the French won’t score a glut of goals this World Cup? Mbappe, Griezmann, Dembele and Giroud their attacking threat this morning. Oh my.

France’s Antoine Griezmann will be a threat for Australia.Credit:AP

Can Messi conjure a miracle?

If you’re just waking up, the big news from overnight is Lionel Messi’s Argentina lost (yes, you read that right) to Saudi Arabia, who Australia tangled with in their Asian qualification campaign.

And the Argentines led at half-time through a Messi penalty game. Funny game, the football.

Socceroos to give France ‘a run for our money’ in World Cup opener: Deschamps

Doha: France’s coach Didier Deschamps has predicted the Socceroos will give the defending world champions a “run for our money” in their opening clash in Qatar, as French skipper Hugo Lloris declared they had learned from their close shave at the World Cup four years ago.

In charge of Les Bleus for his third consecutive World Cup, Deschamps has overseen a stilted preparation that has been wrecked by a series of injuries to noted stars such as Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba and N’golo Kante.

French coach Didier Deschamps with star player Kylian Mbappe.Credit:AP

But he said there was “no apprehension whatsoever” within his group about what they had to do to beat rank outsiders Australia at the Al Janoub Stadium on Wednesday morning (AEDT). Lloris tipped Australia would be a threat at set pieces and on the counter, but would have a hard time getting the ball off France.

Click here to read the story.

Breaking news: Cristiano Ronaldo gone from Manchester United

Manchester United has announced Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has left the club by mutual agreement with ‘immediate effect’.

Ronaldo hit out at the club in an extraordinary interview recently which all but sealed his fate.

Australia’s history at men’s world cups

The Socceroos squad

‘I’m in awe every day’: Why just being in Qatar is a win for the ‘Grey Wiggle’

Doha: Fame doesn’t sit particularly well with Andrew Redmayne. Little known outside the bubble that Australian soccer operates within – well, except for once every four years – the man otherwise known as the ‘Grey Wiggle’ became an instant national sporting icon with his heroics that got the Socceroos to this World Cup.

But a quick stroll through one of Doha’s many opulent shopping malls – and by opulent, we mean theme parks, ice skating rinks, and indoor canals, replete with Venetian-style gondolas – and the Sydney FC goalkeeper was taken right back to his happy place.

Anonymity.

“I think we’d be one of the few nations that could actually walk through a shopping centre on the eve of a World Cup,” Redmayne said. “We kind of just slipped into the background, more or less.”

Click here to read the story.

‘Where is Messi? We beat him!’: Saudi Arabia stun Argentina with 2-1 comeback win

Lusail: Unheralded Saudi Arabia notched one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over Lionel Messi’s Argentina thanks to a scintillating second-half come back.

On his fifth and final quest for the only major trophy to elude him, the 35-year-old Messi scored a 10th-minute penalty in a dominant first-half display where he and Lautaro Martinez also had three goals disallowed for offside.

Party time begins for the Saudi squad.Credit:Getty

But Saudi Arabia, the second-lowest ranked team in the tournament after Ghana, threw caution to the wind at the start of the second half, charging at Argentina’s defence in front of a frenzied 88,012 crowd.

Saleh Al-Shehri squeezed in a low shot in the 48th minute while Salem Al-Dawsari curled in a scorching strike from the edge of the penalty area in the 53rd minute to leave Argentina and Messi looking utterly shell-shocked in the Group C opener.

Click here to read the story.

Reuters

Where to watch the Socceroos play France on Wednesday in Sydney

The wait is over as the Socceroos prepare to kick off their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign against France in Qatar.

Australia’s opening match at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah begins at the somewhat-friendly time of 6am on Wednesday (Sydney time), which means you can watch before work or school.

An elated Aaron Mooy jumps for joy after Australia beat Peru to reach the World Cup finals.Credit:Getty Images

The Socceroos’ group campaign is followed by matches against Tunisia (Saturday at the very friendly prime-time slot of 9pm) and Denmark (Thursday, December 1 at the nocturnal time of 2am).

With every World Cup match on SBS live and on demand, you could always stay at home and watch the match on TV from your couch (or on your phone in bed).

But if you feel like getting out there, here are some venues across Sydney to take in all the action:

Click here to read the story.

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