Giroud scores after only 10 minutes in Ligue 1

Who says Olivier Giroud is no longer a player for serious football? All sorts of know-it-alls in the U.S. rushed to say he was slow, clumsy, and not worth the money LAFC spent to bring him in. Some even went so far as to call the Frenchman one of the biggest flops in MLS history. The only real fact is that American soccer just didn’t suit Olivier. He came to the U.S. at the invitation of his friend Hugo Lloris, stayed briefly, and realized there was no need to look back. Americans don’t understand what Giroud’s class is, because he’s not Luis Suarez or Lionel Messi—he’s his own kind of artist.

Today, he proved it once again. Ten minutes—that’s all the former Arsenal and Milan striker needed to show that he still has a cannon in his legs. Once he warmed up, the net shook: his first Ligue 1 goal in 13 years, against Brest. In the end, even that wasn’t enough for Lille to win. The Mastiffs had leads of 2–0 and 3–2 but had to settle for a draw, 3–3. Giroud’s striker’s instinct kicked in when the veteran forward slipped perfectly behind the opposing center-back and calmly beat the goalkeeper for that long-awaited Ligue 1 goal.

LA boss disappointed with Giroud’s performance in the USA

It wasn’t just about scoring, though—Giroud gave a little reminder of his Arsenal days. He was everything: target man in attack, deepest defender, the team’s first enforcer—he only didn’t go in goal, and he did it all at 38 years old. Still, it wasn’t enough for Lille to open the season with a win, though they came close when Hakon Haraldsson slipped away from the defense to score their second goal. One reason they failed is that after going 2–0 up, Lille completely switched off, as if the lights went out. Brest seized control, dominated possession, and Lille’s defense bent more and more. Midfielder Kamory Doumbia took full advantage, scoring twice early in the second half to level things.

Despite the poor play, Lille could have won again, with Giroud once more involved. On a corner, he cleverly shielded two defenders, allowing Nathan Ngoy to flick the ball on for Angeliyo Mukau, who had an easy finish from five meters out. But the Mastiffs’ defense faltered again, reacting poorly to a through ball on Le Cardinal’s equalizer. Those mistakes somewhat overshadowed all the good work Giroud did in the match—and he did plenty. So much so that at one point, the commentator said: “This isn’t Giroud, this is Zizou”

LIGUE 1 - MATCHDAY 1

Friday

Rennes - Olympique Marseille 1-0 (0-0)

/Blas 90+1/

Saturday

Lens - Olympique Lyon 0-1 (0-1)

/Mikautadze 45+1/

Monaco - Le Havre 3-1 (1-0)

/Lloris 32 og, Dier 61, Akliouche 74 - Ndiaye 67/

Nice - Toulouse 0-1 (0-0)

/Sidibe 89/

Sunday

Brest - Lille 3-3 (0-2)

/Doumbia 34, 51, Le Cardinal 54 - Giroud 11, Haraldsson 26, Mukau 66/

18.15: (2.70) Angers (3.20) Paris (2.90)

18.15: (2.40) Auxerre (3.45) Lorient (3.15)

18.15: (3.20) Metz (3.45) Strasbourg (2.35)

21.45: (8.00) Nantes (5.30) PSG (1.35)

***odds are subject to change***