Chelsea Striker Closes In On Thierry Henry's Record After Scoring Twice in France 3–0 Win Over Bulgaria

Chelsea Striker Closes In On Thierry Henry's Record After Scoring Twice in France 3–0 Win Over Bulgaria

Babajide Orevba
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:44 PM
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- Olivier Giroud has given a glimpse of what he can do when the European Championships kick off next week

- The Chelsea forward came off the bench to score two goals in the closing stages as France defeated Bulgaria 3-0 in a friendly

- Giroud lived up to his ‘phoenix from Grenoble’ nickname given to him by teammates saying he does not give up

- The 34-year-old is now within five goals of equalling Thierry Henry's all-time haul for the French national team

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Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud came off the bench to grab a brace in France 3-0 victory over Bulgaria in their final preparation match ahead of Euro 2020.

In the final warm-up fixture, the Blues’ forward replaced injured Karim Benzema and was able to find the back of the net twice in the final 10 minutes of the encounter.

He proved he can still play a crucial role for Didier Deschamps-tutored side complementing Antoine Griezmann’s 29th-minute strike with two more goals.

Chelsea Striker Lives Up to His ‘Phoenix From Grenoble’ Nickname Scoring Twice in France 3–0 Win Over Bulgaria
Olivier Giroud celebrates one of his goals. Photo: Aurelien Meunier
Source: Getty Images

With the return of Real Madrid goal-poacher Karim Benzema to the squad after five years, there were concerns that Giroud might have limited playing time in the squad.

After the game, the striker was asked about his nickname phoenix' - given to him by his international teammates.

He told French TV channel M6 via Daily Mail:

“It made some of my friends laugh, because they call me that, the phoenix from Grenoble.
“It is a compliment because it means that no matter the circumstances, I don't give up. When I am called upon, the most important thing is to get the job done.
“I had a couple of good passes from my colleagues. They know where I make my movements towards and I just needed to finish well.
“When we did not have the ball, we were good with our defensive positioning. It is when we do not have the ball that we need to make the effort and remain united. Tonight, that's what we did.”

With his 45th and 46th international goals, Olivier Giroud went within five goals of equalling Thierry Henry's all-time haul for the French national team. The Arsenal legend scored 51 goals in 123 appearances for Les Bleus.

The French national team will begin their quest for glory at the Euro 2020 when they take on Germany on Tuesday, a group which has Portugal and Hungary.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Phil Foden is wearing a new look after dying his hair and fans have got social media buzzing that the Man City star is the next Paul Gascoigne, SPORTbible reports.

The 21-year-old will be part of Gareth Southgate's squad that will help England compete for their first European title.

The Three Lions will begin their campaign against 1996 finalists Croatia and Foden has psyched himself up by tinting his hair white.

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Babajide Orevba photo
Babajide Orevba
Babajide Orevba is a CAF accredited Nigerian journalist and HOD of the Local Desk with over 10 years of experience in media landscape.He studied NCE Political Science/Social Studies, AOCOED.
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