With them, “we don’t talk about age”… The formula made legendary by Kylian Mbappé fits well with the two heroes of the evening of the France team. Lloris, 35, and Giroud, 36 years old, have accumulated 259 selections, some experience of these major events and a hell of a record.
Before hoping to add a second world trophy, the goalkeeper and the center forward were the strong men of the round of 16 at the al-Thumama stadium, to get the Blues out of the Polish trap. Captain Lloris celebrated his 142nd selection on Sunday, Lilian Thuram’s record equaled, with a decisive save in the 38th minute in front of Piotr Zielinski, when France suffered the most.
52 goals and 142 caps
And striker Giroud unlocked the tricolor counter, with a sudden call in the opposing sixteen meters, well read by Kylian Mbappé, and a millimeter cross shot.
The AC Milan player was able to exult: this 52nd goal, a record for the French team ahead of Thierry Henry, he had been waiting for for years. The more the weeks passed, the more his status wavered: far from being certain of being on the trip to Qatar in recent months, “Olive” hunkered down, like a phoenix, before becoming indispensable in the wake of the package of Karim Benzema.
For Lloris and Giroud, the evening figures nevertheless masked some shortcomings: poorly controlled reminders from the Tottenham player, and a monumental failure from the Milanese (29th), ultimately without regret because Ousmane Dembélé was offside on the action. But in the history books, these small setbacks will have no place, unlike records.
friends in life
For Giroud, Henry’s mark was on his mind. “It’s a goal that I kept in the back of my mind but it doesn’t inhibit me on the pitch,” warned the former Arsenal player after his double against Australia (4-1) at the start. of Mondial.
Freed by this much sought-after feat, Giroud can take over as a bonus. He was quick to pull off a magnificent acrobatic return in the second half on Sunday, a goal finally canceled for a foul by Raphaël Varane in the area (57th). It is also he who launches the action of the second goal, with precise control, an action concluded by Mbappé just before the N.9 is replaced, and warmly congratulated by Didier Deschamps.
Wink of fate, the Giroud-Lloris axis made the “One” precisely against Poland, also carried by an experienced goalkeeper-attacker duo, Wojciech Szczesny and Robert Lewandowski… But these returned to the home. For the two French thirtysomethings, friends in life and from the same generation, reaching their record the same evening is also a symbol that they will be able to remember for a long time, while they are undoubtedly playing their last World Cup.
But Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud first have a mission to complete: in Qatar each additional match by Lloris and each goal in addition to Giroud will be so many reasons to believe in a double…
Source: Europe1
Brayden White, a veteran sports writer at Global Happening, brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sports section. With over a decade of experience, he is committed to delivering high-quality coverage of the latest games and events.
