Olivier Giroud came off the bench to score a 90th minute winner for Chelsea against Rennes and in doing so sent his side through to the Champions League last-16.
The Blues took the lead after 22 minutes when Mason Mount’s superb pass over the top of the Rennes defence was seized upon by Callum Hudson-Odoi who finished calmly beyond goalkeeper Alfred Gomis.
Hudson-Odoi should have had an assist to his name in the opening minutes of the game when his inch-perfect cross into the six-yard-box was somehow blazed over the bar by Timo Werner.
It had looked as though that miss and numerous others would come back to haunt Frank Lampard‘s side when Serhou Guirassy thundered a header beyond his former Rennes teammate Edouard Mendy in goal with five minutes remaining.
However, Giroud, introduced off the bench with 20 minutes to go in place of Tammy Abraham, struck back in injury time by brilliantly looping a header into the top corner after Werner had spurned a golden one-on-one with Gomis.
Speaking after the game, former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole was quick to praise Giroud’s match-winning impact but expressed his concern at Werner’s profligacy.
“In this position here you’d like Werner to be a little more clinical, that’s where the improvement will come with his game” Cole said. “But this header here is amazing.”
Cole’s co-pundit Peter Crouch added: “We know how good Giroud is in the air but do you know what his eyes have lit up there. The determination, the presence and the power he gets into that header, look at the leap! It was a fantastic finish, he’s made it look easy but it was far from easy.”
The 34-year-old admitted that his situation at Chelsea was “concerning” given his place in Didier Deschamps’ France squad for Euro 2020 could be in jeopardy due to a lack of first-team minutes.
“I will have to take a decision in January but I hope to take the right decision. I have always done that of course,” Giroud said.
“It is concerning because I believe I still have a role to play in the team especially after having a very good end to the last season and I contributed to qualifying for the Champions League.”
Lampard responded to the striker’s comments by insisting that he remains an “important” member of the squad and that he wants him to stay beyond the January transfer window.
“I think there’s been a serious lack of respect to Olivier Giroud in the past,” Crouch said. “I think in the years he’s been in the Premier League and for France as well he’s often overlooked. He’s one of the greatest players France have had goalscoring wise – he’s second, seven behind Thierry Henry, ahead of [Michel] Platini – I think it’s time we stood up and lauded the fantastic servant he’s been to the Premier League and France as well.”
“I’d love to see him stay because that won’t be the last time he bails Chelsea out,” Cole added. “He’s one of the most underrated players we’ve seen in the last five years in the Premier League.”
Giroud’s moment of inspiration which sealed Chelsea’s passage into the Champions League knockout stages with two games to spare will only have increased Lampard’s resolve to retain his services.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/36Ye3OY
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