Olivier Giroud Scores Winning Goal for Lille in Europa League
Former Arsenal and Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud scored the decisive goal as Lille triumphed over Brann in the Europa League.
The 38-year-old ex-France international, who joined Lille in July after leaving Los Angeles FC, headed in a cross from Tiago Santos at the back post to secure the victory.
With this goal, Giroud, who will celebrate his 39th birthday on Tuesday, has now netted three goals in five competitive matches for the Ligue 1 club.
His time in the United States was less prolific, where he managed only five goals in 37 matches across all competitions.
Giroud, the all-time leading scorer for France, is playing in the top tier of French football for the first time in 13 years this season.
Hamza Igamane opened the scoring for Lille in the 54th minute, tapping in at the back post after Matias Fernandez-Pardo made a run down the wing and squared the ball across the goal.
Brann quickly equalized through Saevar Magnusson, who slotted the ball inside the far post during a counterattack. However, Giroud's goal in the 80th minute ultimately secured the win for the French side.
Lille's league campaign continues on Thursday, October 2, when they face Roma at 17:45 BST, while Brann will host Utrecht at the same time.