Giroud beats time again: Veteran stuns Marseille as Lille reignite top-four race
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Reading Time: 2min | Mon. 23.03.26. | 07:44
At nearly 40, the French striker delivers once more - decisive in a fiery derby just days after European heartbreak
They have coined a thousand phrases for nights like this - form is temporary, class is permanent, old dogs still bite.
Pick your favourite... The truth is simpler: Olivier Giroud refuses to fade.
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Closing in on 40, the veteran striker once again proved decisive, coming off the bench to seal a dramatic 2-1 win for Lille OSC away at Olympique de Marseille.
Just 72 hours after their Europa League exit to Aston Villa, Lille found a way to respond and reignite their Champions League push.
The game itself was chaos wrapped in tension.
It exploded early when Mason Greenwood burst forward on the counter, only to be chopped down in a full sprint - a brutal foul that sparked a near-melee.
He tried to continue, but the damage was done, leaving Marseille disrupted and vulnerable.
Lille seized the moment.
On the stroke of half-time, a slick move finished by Ethan Nwaneri put the home side ahead, capping a spell of growing control. Injuries piled up on both sides, including the Lille goalkeeper, but the tempo never dropped.
And then came the turnaround.
Thomas Meunier pounced on defensive chaos early in the second half to level the score.
And then, in the 86th minute, he delivered the moment that mattered.
His cross found Giroud, who seemed to hang in the air before powering home the winner.
For Marseille, it was only a second home defeat of the season.
For Lille, it was a statement - now just two points behind their rivals and firmly back in the race for Europe.
LIGUE 1 - MATCHDAY 27
Friday
Lens - Angers 5-1 (3-0)
/Thauvin 13, Edouard 25, 48, Sangare 39, Udol 72 - Machine 62/
Saturday
Toulouse - Lorient 1-0 (0-0)
/Emersonn 81/
Auxerre - Brest 3-0 (1-0)
/Okoh 24, 58, Namaso 70/
Nice - PSG 0-4 (0-1)
/Mendes 42 pen, Doue 49, Fernandez 81, Zaire-Emery 85/
Sunday
Olympique Lyon - Monaco 1-2 (1-0)
/Sulc 42 - Akliouche 62, Balogun 72 pen/
Olympique Marseille - Lille 1-2 (1-0)
/Nwaneri 34 - Meunier 49, Giroud 86/
Paris - Le Havre 3-2 (2-0)
/Immobile 29, Seko 33 og, Gory 86 - Ndiaye 61, Kyeremeh 90+2/
Rennes - Metz 0-0
Nantes - Strasbourg 2-3 (1-1)
/Tabibou 6, Abline 53 - Oyedele 45+2, Panichelli 78, 90+2/