Olivier Giroud Sitting Down Southampton's Entire Defence Before Scoring Goes Viral, We Can't Explain The Sorcery
The time Olivier Giroud sat down Southampton's entire defence before finishing with the outside of his boot in an FA Cup semi-final isn't talked about enough.
It's fair to say we didn't fully appreciate Giroud during his nine year spell in English football. The World Cup winner had it all whether he was in the red of Arsenal or blue of Chelsea.
When he swapped the Emirates for Stamford Bridge in 2018, many questioned the decision as he was never the fastest and already into his 30's.
Advert
He made everyone eat their words and perhaps his finest Chelsea moment came at Wembley in April of his debut campaign.
This Olivier Giroud goal at Wembley doesn't get enough credit pic.twitter.com/P1KOgFScB1
— Harry 🇺🇦 (@HKSaratov) March 21, 2022
Chelsea took on Southampton for the chance to face Manchester United in the FA Cup final and the scores were 0-0 after an even first half.
One minute into the restart, Antonio Conte's side were ahead and it's all thanks to Giroud.
Eden Hazard laid the ball off to the France international and he managed to jink past the Saints' backline, who flung themselves at him from all angles.
Maya Yoshida had a nibble before Cedric Soares stuck out a leg to get any touch on the ball, as Mario Lemina lunged from behind.
As Cedric lost balance, he fell into the path of Jan Bednarek who tripped over his full-back and goalkeeper Fraser Forster.
Giroud kept control and balance throughout all this, prodding the ball into an open net. He wheeled away in celebration while pointing at Hazard, but it's clear which man put the most work in.
It's worth watching in real time as well. Check it out below.
— Dubois (@CFCDUBois) March 21, 2022
Giroud blessed us with overhead kicks, scorpion kicks and everything else in between, but this was something special.
One fan commented: "This is beyond genius. What a player."
Another put: "If this is anybody else, they’re like Puskas award!"
While a third said: "I'd never seen this before, but it's got to be an all-time."
Chelsea won the game 2-0 after Cesar Azpilicueta doubled their lead and they'd go on to win the competition, defeating United 1-0 in the final.
Giroud left the Blues in 2021 after winning the Champions League and joined AC Milan.
Now 35, he's scored eight goals in 21 Serie A appearances and Milan sit top of the table.
Topics: Olivier Giroud, Chelsea, FA Cup, England
Daniel Marland