PARIS, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Striker Olivier Giroud tied Zinedine Zidane's record as France kicked off their final World Cup preparations with a 2-0 home victory over Ireland here on Monday.
Giroud notched his 31st goal in the 40th minute, moving level with Zidane as France's joint-fourth all-time leading scorer. Lyon captain Nabil Fekir doubled Les Bleus' lead three minutes later after an error from Irish goalkeeper Colin Doyle.
After his a 23-man World Cup squad on May 17, France coach Didier Deschamps took the opportunity to try out some of his less experienced players, with key men Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante and Antoine Griezmann all starting the match from the substitutes' bench.
Downpours in the evening didn't restrict France's firepower, as the in-form Giroud converted his third attempt from Fekir's corner to beat Doyle.
Only Thierry Henry (51), Michel Platini (41) and David Trezeguet (34) remain ahead of Giroud and Zidane on France's list of all-time top goalscorers.
A fumble from Doyle gave the hosts a two-goal advantage. Although the Irish keeper parried Fekir's effort, the ball bounced slowly into the net.
Deschamps made six substitutions after the interval, which interrupted France's attacking momentum, as Giroud failed to latch onto wonderkid Kylian Mbappe's cross in a counter-attack. At the other end, France goalkeeper Steve Mandanda managed to keep a clean sheet after saving from Shaun Williams' close-range shot late in the match.
France will host Italy and the United States in friendly matches before heading to Russia. They are in World Cup Group C along with Australia, Peru and Denmark.
