Tag: Olivier Giroud

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Olivier Giroud scores 2 as AC Milan routs Cagliari

It was a second win in as many games for Milan, which is still without Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The veteran forward remains out after injuring his knee in May and needing surgery.

Olivier Giroud scored his first two league goals for AC Milan as the Rossoneri beat Cagliari 4-1 in Serie A.

All the goals came in the first half with Giroud scoring Milan’s last two after early strikes from Sandro Tonali and

Rafael Leao. Alessandro Deiola briefly made it 1-1 for Cagliari on Sunday.

It was a second win in as many games for Milan, which is still without Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The veteran forward remains out after injuring his knee in May and needing surgery.

Jose Mourinho’s Roma also scored four goals as it won 4-0 at newly promoted Salernitana.

In Milan, the home side opened the scoring when Tonali curled a free kick into the top near corner in the 12th minute.

It was also his first goal for Milan and only a second in Serie A for the former Brescia midfielder.

Cagliari leveled three minutes later as Deiola headed in a delightful lofted pass from Joao Pedro but Milan restored its lead almost immediately when Leao’s effort was deflected in.

Giroud joined Milan from Chelsea in the offseason and the 34-year-old scored his first goal in the 24th. Brahim Diaz raced forward from the center of midfield and sent a ball through to Giroud, who fired it into the far side of the net.

Giroud also converted a penalty two minutes from halftime after Cagliari midfielder Kevin Strootmann handled the ball just inside the penalty area.

ROMA ROUT

Salernitana had narrowly lost its first match back in the top flight for more than 20 years as it was defeated 3-2 by Bologna last week.

It was a lot more humiliating in its first home match following a second-half capitulation.

Lorenzo Pellegrini broke the deadlock three minutes into the second half and also scored Roma’s fourth.

New forward Tammy Abraham opened his Roma account in the 69th following a goal from Jordan Veretout.

The 23-year-old Abraham is enjoying a fantastic start to life in Serie A after setting up both his side’s goals and hitting the crossbar in a 3-1 win over Fiorentina last week.

Abraham recently joined Roma from Chelsea for 40 million euros ($47 million).

PERFECT RECORD

Substitute Andrea Petagna scored two minutes after coming off the bench as Napoli also made it two wins out of two with a 2-1 victory at Genoa.

Petagna’s goal came with six minutes remaining after Genoa midfielder Andrea Cambiaso had canceled out Fabian Ruiz’s opener.

Sassuolo drew 0-0 with Sampdoria.

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OLIVIER GIROUD CLOSE TO €2 MILLION MILAN MOVE

AC Milan are closing in on a deal to sign Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud for €2 million, sources have reported.

Chelsea triggered an option last month to extend his contract by a further 12 months but the 36-year-old wants more regular game-time and is keen on a move to Italy.

Giroud fell down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge last season following the arrival of Timo Werner from RB Leipzig with Kai Havertz also preferred at times as a false nine by Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel.

The club are in the market to sign a forward this summer and are expected to try and prise Erling Haaland away from Borussia Dortmund. They are also keeping tabs on Harry Kane’s future at Tottenham Hotspur among other possible targets.

Chelsea are willing to part with Giroud, who moved across London from Arsenal in January 2018 and has scored 39 goals in 119 appearances.

Since joining Chelsea, the France international has won an FA Cup, Europa League and Champions League.

Giroud was a World Cup winner with in 2018 and part of the side which was knocked out of Euro 2020 at the round-of-16 stage by Switzerland on penalties.

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UCL: OLIVIER GIROUD ACROBATIC HELP CHELSEA TO AN AWAY WIN AGAINST ATLETICO MADRID

Olivier Giroud produced another Champions League special to hand Chelsea the advantage in their last-16 tie with Atletico Madrid after a 1-0 first-leg win in Bucharest.

The Blues forward grabbed his sixth goal in the competition this season with an overhead kick in the 68th minute but it was only awarded after a lengthy VAR review.

It was thoroughly deserved for Thomas Tuchel’s side, who dominated for large parts and extended their unbeaten run under the German to eight games since his arrival on January 26.

A negative was bookings for Mason Mount and Jorginho, which rules them out of the second leg, but Atletico boss Diego Simeone knows his team will need to score at least twice next month to go through in normal time.

Callum Hudson-Odoi was a surprise name in the Blues starting line-up for this tie hosted in Romania due to coronavirus travel restrictions enforced by the Spanish government.

The England international had lasted only 31 minutes following his half-time introduction at Southampton on Saturday, but manager Tuchel played the youngster at right wing-back.

Chelsea’s night started on a poor note when inside 60 seconds Mount was booked for a foul on Joao Felix, meaning he will be suspended for the second leg at Stamford Bridge next month.

Edouard Mendy almost contrived to pile more misery on the visitors after a heavy touch in the penalty area but Saul was unable to make the most of the goalkeeper’s mistake.

After early pressure from Atletico, including a dangerous Luis Suarez centre across the face of goal, the Premier League side started to dominate possession and a long-range effort from Marcos Alonso represented the first shot on target from either side

It was routine for Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak, who had gone seven matches without a clean sheet and was forced into more strenuous action six minutes before the break as Timo Werner’s strike from a tight angle was well saved.

Goalless at the interval, Simeone would have been the happier of the two managers with numerous absentees including England full-back Kieran Trippier due to suspension.

Not long after Suarez saw an effort deflected wide by Andreas Christensen, Joao Felix fired an overhead kick off target following Cesar Azpilicueta’s poor headed clearance in a sign Atleti were set to be more adventurous in this half.

Jorginho became the second Chelsea player to be ruled out of the second leg in the 64th minute when he brought down Joao Felix, but four minutes later the away side were able to break the deadlock in style.

Alonso got forward well and his cross was deflected into the path of Giroud, who produced a superb overhead kick from 12 yards which beat Oblak and found the bottom corner.

It was immediately ruled out for offside, with Mount deemed to have knocked the ball forward for his team-mate, but after a lengthy VAR review it was adjudged Atletico centre-back Mario Hermoso had got the decisive final touch.

Giroud’s 11th goal of the season and sixth in this competition gave Chelsea a crucial away goal in the tie and Tuchel reacted instantly with the introduction of N’Golo Kante and Hakim Ziyech with 16 minutes left.

Reece James followed them on to the pitch soon after, with Hudson-Odoi taken off after 80 minutes on this occasion.

While Atletico pushed for an equaliser, Simeone made the surprise decision to take off Joao Felix and they suffered a second consecutive defeat.

It gives Chelsea the upper hand ahead of the return leg at Stamford Bridge on March 17, where the Blues will aim to make the quarter-finals for the first time in seven years

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SEVILLA 0-4 CHELSEA: GIROUD SCORES ALL FOUR AS BLUES THRASH SEVILLA IN SPAIN

Olivier Giroud scored four goals as Chelsea beat Sevilla 4-0 to secure top spot in Champions League Group E on Wednesday night.

Christian Pulisic was back in the XI for Frank Lampard, following his first appearance as a substitute in a 0-0 Premier League draw with Tottenham Hotspur since returning from an injury layoff.

Kai Havertz teed up Giroud for an early Chelsea strike with the France forward curling a left-footed shot past Alfonso Pastor as he was falling away from the goal.

Chances were hard to come by for both teams throughout the remainder of the first half as Chelsea took their 1-0 lead into the dressing room.

Giroud doubled his tally and Chelsea’s lead nine minutes into the second half, chipping the ball over Pastor after being played in by Mateo Kovacic.

A glancing header from a N’Golo Kante cross gave Giroud his third of the match to give Chelsea some breathing room as they saw out their group-topping win with one match left to play.

Giroud scored his fourth from the penalty spot, sending Pastor the wrong way after Sergio Gomez had taken him down in the area as the two ran onto a whipped in cross.

The result left Chelsea with 13 points from five games, three ahead of second-placed Sevilla with a better head-to-head record against the Spanish side after their 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge in the reverse fixture.

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FRANK LAMPARD INSISTS HE HAS PLANS FOR OLIVIER GIROUD

Frank Lampard insists evergreen striker Olivier Giroud still has a vital role to play at Chelsea.

Blues boss Lampard hailed Rennes match-winner Giroud’s importance at Stamford Bridge, despite the 34-year-old already being linked with a January transfer.

The 44-goal France hitman is determined to reach next summer’s European Championships as Les Bleus’ top striker and could seek a move away from Chelsea for more regular game time.

Giroud’s powerful header snatched the Blues a 2-1 Champions League win at Rennes, securing safe passage to the last 16 with two matches in Group E still to play.

Lampard believes Giroud is managing to improve with age, and maintained the ex-Arsenal man is still highly valued at the Blues.

Asked if Giroud’s goal underlines just why Chelsea want him to stay at Stamford Bridge, Lampard said: ‘Yes, it does, and I’ve felt it first-hand, last year it was him or Tammy (Abraham) fighting for the No 9 spot.

‘Tammy had a great first half of the season, and then Oli in restart was fantastic.

‘And the things behind the scenes, everybody kind of feels from the outside to be fair what a great professional he is and how highly regarded he is by his team-mates and myself.

‘So for him to get a goal, you saw the reaction of his team-mates, he’s so professional in how he trains and looks after himself that age isn’t even a factor for him.

‘He’s getting better with age if anything in terms of how he looks after himself.

‘So he offers a lot for us and I keep saying it but the big schedule coming up and the way we play means I will rely on players.

‘So thankfully for me he’s a player that always keeps the right attitude if he’s not playing regularly, and I know when I call upon him that he comes in as he did.’

Callum Hudson-Odoi’s early strike had the Blues coasting until Serhou Guirassy’s late equaliser left Chelsea ruing a host of missed chances.

World Cup-winner Giroud climbed off the bench to complete a dramatic rescue act though, leaving Lampard once again praising the France star’s patience and professionalism.

‘At the moment Tammy is in great form as well, so I have to pick on face value to get the best for us,’ said Lampard.

‘I hope and I think Oli knows how much I’m happy with him and how much I rely on him in moments.

‘Every player wants to play every game, it’s an impossible part of my job to keep them all happy, but hopefully he knows and he feels content.

‘He got minutes coming on today, and there will be games when he starts for us as well. Hopefully we keep moving forward that way.’

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UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE: OLIVIER GIROUD SCORES AS FRANCE SENDS SWEDEN TO NATIONS LEAGUE RELEGATION.

Olivier Giroud continued his remarkable scoring record for France with a brace as the World Cup holders came from behind to beat Sweden 4-2 in the UEFA Nations League on Tuesday.

Viktor Claesson’s deflected early strike gave the away side the lead behind closed doors at the Stade de France, but Giroud soon equalised and Benjamin Pavard put France ahead before half-time. Giroud then headed in a Kylian Mbappe cross to make it 3-1 before the hour mark, taking him to 44 goals in 105 appearances for his country. Kingsley Coman scored France’s final goal after Robin Quaison netted Sweden’s second of the night.

Having recently overtaken Michel Platini’s tally of 41 goals for Les Bleus, Giroud is now closing in on Thierry Henry’s overall record mark of 51.

The 34-year-old has not always been a popular member of the France side but remains a key player for coach Didier Deschamps despite being on the periphery with his club Chelsea, for whom he has started just one game this season, in the League Cup.

“I am used to being heckled and jeered. That has just been part of my experience, of my career, but it only makes me stronger,” Giroud told television station M6.

France had already secured top spot in League A, Group 3 ahead of holders Portugal, thereby qualifying for the Nations League finals in October next year.

Sweden, meanwhile, finish bottom of the group behind Croatia and will be relegated to the second-tier League B for the next edition.

They came to Paris without coach Janne Andersson, who was self-isolating after testing positive for coronavirus, but they took the lead in the fourth minute when Claesson’s poked shot went in via a big deflection off Raphael Varane.

However, Marcus Thuram, the Borussia Moenchengladbach forward who made his full France debut last week against Finland, set up Giroud to sweep in the equaliser in the 16th minute.

Thuram was again involved as France took the lead in the 36th minute as it was after his slaloming run into the area that the ball broke to Pavard to score his second international goal with a volley into the far corner.

Unused in France’s previous two outings after being called up despite suffering a hamstring injury playing for Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappe replaced Thuram just before the hour and within a minute he crossed for Giroud to make it 3-1.

Substitute Quaison gave Sweden hope when he pulled it back to 3-2 in the 88th minute, and the visitors knew that, with Croatia losing to Portugal, an equaliser could keep them in League A.