You think you’ve seen it all, and then Olivier Giroud walks out in extra time wearing a Mike Maignan shirt, extending his hand while wearing goalkeeper gloves, and hoping his blоw connects with the appropriate ball.
Yes, it really works!
Then he dives for the ball and holds on for dear life as his teammates surround him and clap him on the back like Ashley Coles around Petr ech after he saved Arjen Robben’s penalty in overtime on May 19.
And that is how Olivier Giroud kept a clean sheet for 10-man AC Milan in their 1-0 win away at Genoa, allowing them to extend their early season lead in Serie A to two points. The gap between the two halves of Milan was caused by Inter Milan, a rival team, losing two points at home after having a two-goal advantage earlier in the day.
The previous wearer of the number 11 shirt was replaced by Giroud because he attempted to decapitate a Genoa player with his knee. After a video review confirmed the red card, Maignan left the field, and with no further subs available for Milan, Giroud stepped in between the posts to add to his legendary status.
Both clubs concluded the game with their starting goalkeepers on the bench when Josep Martnez, his counterpart, was sent off for a second yellow card five minutes later.
An 87th-minute goal from Christian Pulisic (“Yes we can! The most memorable part of this otherwise average game—the Rossoneri announcer yelling “USA! USA! USA!”—happened in the closing 15 minutes. In his first eight games in Serie A, Pulisic has scored four times.
Oh my God, football!
(Fikayo Tomori also gave his all in this game, as he usually does, but Ruben Loftus-Cheek was sidelined with a relatively minor ιnjury and couldn’t participate. After the break, he will presumably return.