PARIS (AP) — Veteran striker Olivier Giroud took only 11 minutes to score on his return to Ligue 1, but it was not enough as his new side Lille drew 3-3 at Brest on Sunday.
Giroud was picked out by Felix Correia's clever pass behind the defense and finished with a left-footed shot under the goalkeeper. The 38-year-old Giroud became Lille's oldest scorer in Ligue 1 and he lasted the whole game.
“It was a special moment for me and I’m happy to be back in Ligue 1,” Giroud told broadcaster DAZN. “The coach asked me several times how I was feeling and I said I wanted to play until the end.”
Midfielder Hakon Arnar Haraldsson made it 2-0 before Kamory Doumbia scored twice to level the match. Lille regained the lead midway through the second half when Ngal’ayel Mukau scored following a corner, but Julien Le Cardinal equalized.
Paris Saint-Germain will begin its title defense later Sunday with a trip to Nantes, and traveled without goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who said he wants to leave the club and has been linked with a move to Manchester City.
In Sunday's other matches, newly promoted Paris FC was at Angers while Metz faced Strasbourg and Auxerre hosted Ligue 2 winner Lorient.
Back to France
Giroud joined Lille after a disappointing spell with Los Angeles FC.
He previously made his name with AC Milan, Chelsea and Arsenal — the club he joined from Montpellier after winning the French title in 2012 and scoring 21 league goals that season.
Giroud is France’s all-time leading men’s scorer with 57 goals and won the 2018 World Cup with Les Bleus.
“I wanted to challenge myself one more time,” Giroud said. ___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press
