Giroud again coming up clutch as France chase World Cup glory

There is no doubt that France has quality in abundance in their squad.  

Heading into the 2022 World Cup semi-finals, Kylian Mbappe is the top scorer with five goals, Antoine Griezmann has made more key passes (17) than any other player, while also having the joint highest number of assists (3) and even defensively, Ibrahima Konate is making more tackles per game (4.3) than any other player.  

But as we saw on Saturday, teams will often try and double up on key men in order to nullify their threat. Mbappe for example was limited to just a single shot against England. 

So, when it comes to producing those big moments out of thin air when Didier Deschamps needs it most from his team, the source usually comes from Olivier Giroud. 

There is a reason why he is France’s all-time top goalscorer with 53 goals in 118 appearances. 

While Arsenal fans may not always look fondly at his time in North London, most will easily remember a number of times where he provided that moment of magic when it was needed most to get his team the win. The assist for Aaron Ramey’s winner in the 2017 FA Cup final, or the last-minute overhead kick that sealed a vital three points in the Europa League away to Red Star Belgrade in the October 2017, are just two examples of a collection of decisively key moments he produced for the Gunners alone. 

On Saturday evening he was the man of the moment yet again to see France over the line when they needed it most, scoring the decisive goal to win them the game against England, bringing his total at the World Cup to four. 

What’s most interesting to note is that three of those goals have been at times that has given France the lead in the game, while the other was his second in the opening group win over Australia, emphaising how when France need a goal most, Giroud is usually the man to provide it. 

Even when he has not been scoring goals in Qatar, he has generally been involved in the build-up, understanding that his ability to hold up play and create chances can be just as key as his goalscoring abilities. 

On WhoScored, Giroud is defined as a player who likes do layoffs, flick ons and short passes.  He has highlighted these traits throughout the tournament, with no player having made more accurate flick ons (4) than Giroud, while he has also made six accurate layoffs, which only six players can better. This unselfishness may give the headlines to his teammates as opposed to himself, but is vital in making his team click at the most decisive moments. 

His presence in the box is one that creates in itself an opportunity for his team. He has had 13 shots in his four appearances so far at the World Cup, with 11 of those coming within the penalty area, often using his physical presence to create a goalscoring chance, accompanied by the fact he has won nine aerial duels. These numbers go some way to explaining how hard it is for a team to mark Giroud, with a player yet to disposses him of the ball, and how key this can be for France in their overall attacking play. 

When the opportunity presents itself to score goals, Giroud is not short of the creative options behind him to make that happen. Three of the top four players with the most key passes created are France players, after all. As the main focal point of the French attack, the main part of his game will be to hold up play and allow others to do the finishing, but with 3.3 shots per game, the joint fifth highest, he too is there to cause havoc for the opposition in front of goal, which is underlined by Giroud mustering 1.8 of those shots per game with his head, which is the most in Qatar. 

This World Cup, as well as Giroud’s years in the game, has seen him play alongside some top-class players. But so often in these teams, his contribution is so often forgotten about, but just reading through his list of achievements and it is clear he is a big game player, from winning collective honours such as FA Cups, the Champions League, a Europa League, and the World Cup, as well as individual honours such as the Puskas Award or Europa League top scorer.  

By Sunday evening, he could add a second World Cup to his name and if France are to defend their crown, it will require Giroud to be ready to make those magic moments happen, whether as the creator or the scorer.