Olivier Giroud starts his AC Milan campaign with a bang. The French forward scored four minutes into his Milan debut against OGC Nice. The forward signed a two-year deal with Rossoneri following his €2 million move from Chelsea this summer.
AC Milan boss Stefan Pioli did not wait much and handed the experienced Frenchman a debut against Nice in a preseason friendly. He earned his manager’s trust in only four minutes as he scored his first goal for the Rossoneri and will hope to continue the same way heading into a new Serie A season.
Pioli needed to react after Amine Gouiri’s goal from the penalty spot that handed Nice the lead at the hour mark. AC Milan introduced Giroud, and the big Frenchman wasted no time to restore parity.
It was an excellent freekick from Samu Castillejo that fell right in the path for Giroud at the back post. The former Chelsea man made no mistake to lose his marker and head it past the Nice goalkeeper to level the score.
Although it was preseason friendly, the 34-year-old’s goal on his Milan debut is giving a lot of hope to the supporters. They would like him to replicate this goalscoring form when they start their Serie A campaign against Sampdoria on August 23.
Giroud may be past his prime but his instincts in the penalty box are as good as anyone. He can smell danger and can reach great positions in the box. He will be a major trump card for Pioli in the upcoming season as he can provide the Rossoneri with something different from the bench or even while starting.
The France international will hope to challenge Zlatan Ibrahimovic for a starting spot, and it will be a tough call for Pioli to pick one among them. In his final season for The Blues, Giroud was reduced to a backup role to Timo Werner, but still, he scored 11 goals in 31 appearances. He played his role in helping the Blues clinching their second Champions League title last season.
