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Football fans have lauded Olivier Giroud after he became France's greatest men's goalscorer of all time in Les Bleus' 3-1 win against Poland at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Giroud started for Didier Deschamps' men in their World Cup Round of 16 tie on Sunday (December 4). While he didn't get too many touches in the first half, the former Arsenal and Chelsea forward still managed to get onto the scoresheet in the 44th minute.
A superb pass from Kylian Mbappe put Giroud through and he beat Wojcech Szczesny with a perfectly placed strike into the bottom right corner. With the goal, which was his 52nd for France, he overtook the legendary Thierry Henry, who scored 51 times in 123 matches for his country. Giroud achieved the feat in six fewer games.
His incredible achievement instantly brought him admiration and respect from the football community on Twitter. One fan tweeted:
"Giroud one of the greatest maximisers of talent I've ever seen"
Another wrote:
"Giroud’s career is actually so underrated, so many achievements. Fair play"
Here are some more reactions to his incredible achievement:
Many believe Giroud doesn't get enough respect for his achievements in a senior career that has spanned over 15 years now. Apart from lifting the FIFA World Cup with France in 2018, he has also won the UEFA Champions League, Serie A and four FA Cups.
The Frenchman has scored an admirable 246 goals in 610 appearances over the course of his club career, while laying out 90 assists as well.
Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappe lead France into 2022 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals
Olivier Giroud got the ball rolling for France in their 2022 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash against Poland. Kylian Mbappe, who assisted Giroud's record-breaking goal, then took centre-stage in the second half.
With the Poles chasing an equalizer, Les Bleus got the chance to hit them on the counter. One such instance saw Giroud cleverly collect the ball and find Ousmane Dembele on the right. The Barcelona star found Mbappe in space on the other flank and he thundered an effort into the top left corner in the 74th minute.
The game was effectively in the bag for Didier Deschamps and Co., but Mbappe wasn't done just yet. In the first minute of injury-time, the Paris Saint-Germain superstar found just enough space in the box to fire an absolute bullet into the top right corner this time.
Robert Lewandowski scored a late penalty to make it 3-1, but it did nothing to change the outcome as France entered the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals. The reigning champions will meet either England or Senegal in the last eight.
