France striker Olivier Giroud was once again the toast of his country as he scored twice in a 4-2 come-from-behind victory over Sweden in the Nations League.
The Chelsea hitman, who has reportedly decided he will leave the Blues in January, put himself firmly in the shop window by grabbing a brace against the Swedes as the World Cup winners exerted their dominance over their opponents.
📷 Olivier Giroud: Match Snapshot
France fell behind in only four minutes as Victor Claesson scored with a heavily deflected shot after Paul Pogba gave away possession.
It didn’t take the hosts long to respond, with Giroud’s first meaningful effort of the match pawed away by Robin Olsen.
⚽ ⏱️ 16' France’s equaliser owed much to the work of Marcus Thuram. He found room to cross from the left and his driven centre was steered into the corner by Giroud.
Ten minutes before the break, France took the lead with a Benjamin Pavard drive, but they made the game safe in the second half.
⚽ ⏱️ 59' Shortly after missing narrowly with a header, Giroud spectacularly added to his tally. Kylian Mbappe had been on the field for barely a minute when his teasing cross was met with a diving header from the Chelsea forward.
Giroud continued to chase a second hat-trick for France but was unable to complete the job. He will be pleased, however, to get some much-needed minutes in his legs before he was withdrawn on 83 minutes.
After he went off, Robin Quaison got one back, only for Kingsley Coman, who replaced Giroud, to roll into an empty net with the last kick.
〽️ Giroud: Rating Week-on-Week
✔️ IMPROVEMENT
Giroud has effectively been a forgotten man with Chelsea. He has been given only a few minutes of game time here and there at Stamford Bridge. As such, his 9.2 FC Rating represents a dramatic improvement on what he has managed in recent weeks.
🗝️ Key Stats
Werner match stats
| Statistic | Value | Notes |
| FC Rating | 9.2 | |
| Mins Played | 84 | |
| Touches in box | 9 | Rank #1 |
| Shots | 5 | Rank #1 |
| On Target | 4 | Rank #1 |
| Goals | 2 | Rank #1 |
Giroud: What Next?
Olivier Giroud simply faces the challenge of gaining the confidence of Frank Lampard at Chelsea and earning some regular game time. He has been given mere scraps this season, but his double will remind his club boss what he remains capable of.
Even if he does not feature more prominently for his club, this double was a useful nudge to managers around the continent what he can do.
READ MORE:
Olivier Giroud: Player Profile
France-sweden/match-stats/1907728">France 4-2 Sweden: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats
Olivier Giroud 
Chelsea 
France 
