AC Milan’s Olivier Giroud has equalled Thierry Henry as France’s all-time top-scorer on 51 goals after a brace to beat Australia at the World Cup. So, what were his best goals so far?
Giroud scored two as Les Bleus came from behind to beat the Socceroos 4-1 at Al Janoub Stadium on Tuesday. Craig Goodwin broke the deadlock for Australia after nine minutes to stun the reigning champions. But France took just a further 18 minutes to get off the mark.
Didier Deschamps’s side continued France’s unwanted tendency to be slow starters on the FIFA stage. It took an 81st-minute own goal to beat Australia in their opening match for the 2018 World Cup. They also lost to Senegal in their 2002 opener as the reigning champions.
Giroud equals Henry as France’s all-time top-scorer with a World Cup brace
Lucas Hernandez’s World Cup is over, too, after the left-back ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, the French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed. The defender suffered a possibly season-ending blow to his right knee before Mathew Leckie crossed for Goodwin to strike.
Theo Hernandez came on for his brother and went on to curl the ball into Adrien Rabiot to head in France’s equaliser. Five minutes later, the midfielder turned creator and set Giroud up for his first. Kylian Mbappe swiftly then added the third after the striker’s simple finish.
Mbappe also followed Rabiot by adding an assist for a Giroud goal to his own to secure the 4-1 win over Australia for France. The Paris Saint-Germain dynamo was a threat all night as he dropped a shoulder, beat a defender and darted inside to deliver another inviting cross.
Giroud met Mbappe’s ball to head France into a comfortable position against Australia and in doing so, drew level with Henry as Les Bleus’ all-time top-scorer on 51 goals. He has also achieved 51 goals in the exact same number of caps as the Arsenal icon required with 115.
Henry, who won the 1998 World Cup in France, failed to score in his last eight appearances for Les Bleus. Giroud can now take the record outright if the 2018 champion scores against Denmark on November 26 or Tunisia on the 30th whilst France round out Group D in 2022.
So, with Giroud now level with Henry as France’s all-time top-scorer after his brace to beat Australia at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, HITC Football selects his best Bleus strikes so far…
The forward’s timing and precision were on show to beat the Netherlands in 2018
Giroud’s timing and precision were on show as France beat the Netherlands in September 2018. On the back of winning their second World Cup title, Les Bleus met the Dutch in the Nations League. It took until the 75th minute and Giroud’s moment of class for the winner.
The striker capped the party atmosphere in Paris as Les Bleus celebrated their Russia 2018 title by beating the Netherlands. His smart finish with a quarter of an hour left on the clock showed his often underrated timing to restore France’s lead after Ryan Babel’s equaliser.
Giroud flashed in front of Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk and fired a first-time volley beyond Jasper Cillessen. The goalkeeper could only flap at his shot as it sailed into the net.
Giroud scored one of his best – as well as record-equalising – goals vs Australia
Giroud scored one of his best goals for France yet against Australia, as well as his effort to draw level with Henry as their all-time top-scorer. The Chambery native also fired a brace as Les Bleus beat the Socceroos 6-0 in a friendly at the Stade de France in October 2013.
Franck Ribery broke the deadlock after just eight minutes with a penalty before Giroud hit his first eight minutes later. Giroud showed his class to lift the ball over Mitchell Langerak whilst running away from the goal to meet Ribery’s pass, chipping into the far top corner.
Giroud made scoring spectacular goals for France look easy vs Cameroon in 2016
Giroud made scoring spectacular goals for France look easy to help beat Cameroon in a friendly in 2016. As the clock hit 40 minutes and the score level at 1-1, Paul Pogba wrestled for the ball by the touchline. All the while, Giroud lurked on the shoulder of the last defender.
Once Pogba got a yard of space and his head up, the midfielder spotted Giroud and floated the ball into the box. The forward timed his run to perfection to stay onside and flashed his volley home. He tracked the ball’s flight perfectly to side-foot it home past Fabrice Ondoa.
Giroud overtook Platini as France’s second-highest all-time top-scorer in 2020
Giroud overtook Michel Platini’s 42 goals to become France’s second-highest all-time top-scorer in October 2020 while beating Ukraine 7-1. The former Arsenal and Chelsea striker was also celebrating his 100th cap for Les Bleus during the friendly at the Stade de France.
Deschamps even handed Giroud the captaincy and he wasted little time before making an impact by assisting Eduardo Camavinga’s opener. The first of Giroud’s brace then followed on 24 minutes with a left-footed strike. He then got a double by heading in on 34 minutes.
It was his first and France’s second goal to thrash Ukraine that showed the effortless grace Giroud can possess. The 36-year-old collected Corentin Tolisso’s pass to break a yard away from his marker. A touch later, he had his sights on the goal and picked out the top corner.
Georgiy Bushchan momentarily considered diving to try and stop the strike rippling his net. But the goalkeeper quickly accepted defeat as Giroud produced a postage-stamp goal with relative ease from 24 yards out. His header soon followed from Houssem Aouar’s rebound.
The striker’s exquisite technique did not stop Sweden beating Les Bleus in 2017
Sweden hosted France at the Friends Arena in Stockholm in June 2017 in a qualifying game for the World Cup. And while Blagult went on to win the Group A tie 2-1 with Ola Toivonen scoring in the 94th minute, Dimitri Payet earlier crossed into Giroud to break the deadlock.
Giroud’s goal was also one of his best for France throughout his all-time joint-leading 51 to date. As Sweden failed to deal with Payet’s delivery, Giroud peeled away at the rear to get possession in the corner of the box. But rather than send the ball back in, he tried his luck.
The attacker flicked the ball up onto his favoured left foot as Sweden hurried to apply any pressure they could. Yet Mikael Lustig’s efforts were in vain as Giroud curled a speculative strike around the right-back and into Sweden’s net. His half-volley flew into the far corner.
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