Olivier Giroud, the French international renowned for his clinical finishing and goal-scoring ability, had played for some of the top English clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal, and is now leading the attack for the Italian giants AC Milan in the capital of Italy.
In a Serie A clash against Genoa, the striker switched the role to the last man in defense and played as keeper guarding the goalpost in the absence of fellow Frenchman Mike Maignan who got sent off in the dying moments of the match.
Why was Olivier Giroud in goal for AC Milan vs Genoa?
AC Milan secured a narrow 1-0 triumph over Genoa in a Serie A round 8 fixture on Saturday. Christian Pulisic netted the 87th-minute winner, but it was his fellow forward Oliver Giroud who stole the show with his unexpected saves in injury time following a red card to their goalkeeper.
In July 2021, Giroud moved to the Italian capital to don the iconic red and black colors of AC Milan and claimed their permanent number 9 striker role at San Siro.
In his very first campaign with the Rossoneri, the French striker ended up as the joint-top scorer alongside his Portuguese teammate Rafael Leao and also led Milan to its first Scudetto – Serie A title since the 2010/11 season, ultimately securing their first UEFA Champions League berth after 7 years.
Subsequently while playing for the Italian giants, Oliver Giroud claimed the title of France’s all-time top scorer with a tally of 54 goals, and for Rossoneri this season, he’s leading the top scorer list jointly with Pulisic.
Olivier Giroud’s clutch save takes AC Milan to top the of Serie A
The Genoa-Milan match was packed with late drama as the goalkeepers from both sides were red-carded. First, it was AC Milan’s Mike Maignan, and a few minutes later, Josep Martinez saw the red card from Genoa’s end in a thrilling 1-0 scoreline.
Left with no choice, the 37-year-old striker Oliver Giroud was forced to play in goal. Giroud donned the goalkeeper gloves to defend their single-goal lead in injury time and made a crucial save, coming off his line in the final minutes, to secure all three points for his side.
Giroud’s heroics helped 10-men Milan to retain the top spot in the league, in their last league match before commencing the October international break where the French striker will have the opportunity to further add to his record tally of international goals for his nation.
