Giroud on target as France sends Sweden into League B

Olivier Giroud starred with a brace as France cruised to a commanding 4-2 win over Sweden in the Nations League on Tuesday.

Published : Nov 18, 2020 09:15 IST , Paris

France's Olivier Giroud has now netted 44 international goals to move seven shy of Thierry Henry's all-time France scoring record.
France's Olivier Giroud has now netted 44 international goals to move seven shy of Thierry Henry's all-time France scoring record.
lightbox-info

France's Olivier Giroud has now netted 44 international goals to move seven shy of Thierry Henry's all-time France scoring record.

Olivier Giroud bagged a double as he showed his worth for France again to help the world champion beat Sweden 4-2 at home in the Nations League on Tuesday.

Giroud scored either side of Benjamin Pavard's first-half strike as Les Bleus recovered from Viktor Claesson's early opener.

Sweden, which reduced the deficit through Robin Quaison before France's Kingsley Coman wrapped it up in stoppage time, was relegated into League B.

RELATED|

Didier Deschamps' France side, which had already qualified for the Final Four, topped Group 3 with 16 points from six games, three points ahead of Portugal, which beat third-placed Croatia 3-2 away.

Sweden finished bottom on three points, behind Croatia on goal difference.

Giroud, who has only made three Premier League appearances for Chelsea this season, has now netted 44 international goals to move seven shy of Thierry Henry's all-time France scoring record.

Claesson put the visitor ahead after four minutes when his shot from inside the box took a deflection off Raphael Varane and wrong-footed Hugo Lloris.

RELATED|

Les Bleus hit back in the 16th minute, with Giroud finding the back of the net with a low shot on the turn from Marcus Thuram's cutback.

Pavard gave France the lead nine minutes before the break with a low, driven volley after Thuram had drawn the defence towards him with a dazzling run into the box.

Giroud, who has been warned by Deschamps that he needs to sort out his club situation in order to stay in the squad, put the result beyond doubt with a header from second-half substitute Kylian Mbappe in the 59th minute.

Quaison pulled one back two minutes from full-time but it was too little, too late for Sweden, which conceded another from late substitute Coman at the end of a counter attack five minutes into added time.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment