Target man Giroud is level with Thierry Henry on 51 goals after scoring twice in their 4-1 win against Australia on Tuesday.
Mark your calendars! Here's all the lowdown of all the major sporting events coming up in 2022...
Lionel Messi lamented Argentina's shock second half capitulation against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday but said he was not surprised by the threat from opponents 48 places lower in the world rankings.
Sania Mirza and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis lost 2-6, 6-4, 10-5 to Russian pair Elena Vesnina and Daria Kasatkina late on Thursday night.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match played between Portugal and Switzerland on Tuesday.
In Morocco, an important member of the Arab League but where much of the population identifies as Amazigh, there has been some bemusement at the Arab embrace, including jokes that people from other Arab countries should finally accept the Moroccan dialect.
Four of the five goals in a thrilling Group H match at Education City Stadium came from dangerous crosses
Ukraine kept alive their dream of reaching the World Cup finals by beating Scotland 3-1 in their playoff at Hampden Park on Wednesday in their first game since the Russian invasion of their country.
Boufal and Sabiri score to give Morocco 2-1 win over Brazil
Giroud, at 36, brings experience and guile to France's attack, while Mbappe, 23, is blessed with pace
Bale's fitness has been a major concern for Wales, with the 33-year-old yet to play a full match for Los Angeles FC due to injury issues.
Putting their bitter club rivalries aside, Kolkata's Big Three football clubs joined in to mourn the loss of Pele and remember his magical presence that wowed the metropolis 45 years back.
Milan missed the chance to jump to second and remained fourth with 48 points
The 71-year-old, who has battled with cancer over the last year, concluded his third spell as the Netherlands coach with their penalty shootout loss and will be replaced by Ronald Koeman.
Gritty Croatia came back from 1-0 in extra-time to claim a 4-2 penalty shootout victory and with it a spot in the semi-finals.
"Will Germany be more dangerous because they need the win more? You never know in football," Luis Enrique said.
Images from the FIFA World Cup Group F match between Morocco and Croatia on Wednesday.
Richard Giusti, who played with Maradona at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups, said it was impossible to compare him to Messi, who with his goal in the 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia became the first Argentine to score at four different World Cups.
It took Giroud, who owed his place in the starting lineup to Benzema's absence, 115 international appearances to score his 51 goals, while Henry needed 123 from 1997-2010.
There was however still some drama. Croatia were awarded a penalty in the 16th minute when Andrej Kramaric's toe was clipped by Yannick Carrasco and referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot.
Fans crowded into plazas to watch the game on giant screens, cheering when Messi scored the opening goal -- a penalty -- but groaning and slowly going silent as Saudi Arabia pulled two quick goals back in the second half.
Although they won their first round group, there was little evidence to back up their self-confidence as they stuttered through
Croatia's head coach Zlatko Dalic said as he prepares his side for Thursday's decisive Group F showdown.
A summary of the concluding day's action in the Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and Saudi Pro League.
Wales will just want to land a blow on their old rivals, snap a run of six consecutive defeats against them and claim a first win over England since 1984.
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Wednesday
Anirudh Thapa has tested positive for COVID-19 and is under quarantine
If this sporting clash was, as English essayist, novelist and journalist George Orwell said, "war minus the shooting" both sets of players were more than ready, and set about each other with little restraint.
Mihaila late show for Romania stuns Swiss in thrilling draw
'If a player of the status of Bhaichung is nominated for the post of president of the AIFF, it will be a good thing'
"It's very difficult for us, the probability for us to proceed is lower than the other nations like in Europe, they have 13 spots. And so the probability is much, much higher."
In Gujarat, the Congress must have felt like the Swiss in Doha. Suffering at the hands of both the BJP and the AAP, they seemed to lack a goalkeeper. In Himachal, although a victory for the Congress, the tenor was more akin to Spain versus Morocco. The underdog triumphed, points out Shyam G Menon.
The 23-year-old world number 144 (before the final) from Faridabad, however, secured the Paris Olympics quota for the country after topping the second ranking round match with a brilliant 24 out of 25 hits.
Qataris have been barred from attending matches as the UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt, cut political and trade ties with Qatar in June 2017 over allegations Doha supports terrorism -- a charge Qatar denies.
Kylian Mbappe's meteoric rise showed no sign of stopping as the France forward sealed the holders' 2-1 win against Denmark to send them into the last 16 of the World Cup on Saturday.
'We have played just two matches, and we have played well, that too against two powerful teams. It gives us that added motivation and confidence that in football, anything is possible'
Christian Pulisic has had a season to forget for Chelsea but in the blue shirt of his beloved United States he scored the goal that gave them their first win at the 2022 World Cup and a spot in the last-16.
England will head to the World Cup on the back of a six-match winless sequence but with at least some pride and confidence restored after a thrilling 3-3 draw at home to Germany in the Nations League on Monday.
aka was excellent in the opening minutes and it was his cross that was headed into the net by Martinelli for the opener, but he went down injured shortly afterwards after a challenge from Forest's Renan Lodi. Saka tried to continue but came off after 27 minutes.
After the match, jubilant Iranians danced and cheered as they streamed out of the ground.
