AC Milan striker Olivier Giroud has been praised for his solid saves despite playing out of position due to the sudden departure of their goalkeeper.
“Giroud pulled off a stunning save to keep out a goal for AC Milan,” British outlet The Sun reported on Aug. 8.
Milan won 1-0 against Genoa in the eighth round of the 2023/24 Serie A season at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa, Italy, on Aug. 8. With the victory, Milan moved to 21 points and overtook Inter Milan (19 points) atop the Serie A standings.
Milan won the match with a goal from Christian Pulisic in the 42nd minute, with Giroud saving the day in the dying minutes to preserve the win.
Milan were shown a straight red card in stoppage time after goalkeeper Mike Menezes pushed Genoa forward Caleb Ekuban outside the box. With all of their substitutes used up, Milan eventually handed the gloves over to Giroud, who had to hold down the fort until stoppage time.
The first Genoa free kick he faced was fortunate to hit the post. Later, Giroud threw himself forward to clear the ball during an attacking development inside Genoa’s penalty box, and Genoa lost the chance to attack. The game ended with the final whistle blowing, and Giroud was able to keep his side in the game after Menezes was sent off to secure the three points.
“Giroud had to be in goal for Milan in their dramatic win over Genoa,” said The Sun. The fans were ecstatic after his stunning last-minute performance,” he said.
“After Giroud bravely threw himself to block the ball, some fans celebrated Milan’s victory, saying he was a better goalkeeper than the mistake-prone Andre Onana, who has been the subject of recent criticism,” he added.
Onana joined Manchester United ahead of the 2023/24 season with high expectations. However, since joining the Red Devils, Onana has struggled to find his stride, making a number of mistakes in goal and failing to capitalize on his passing ability. 안전놀이터
“Onana has conceded 18 goals in 10 games, a rate of 1.8 goals per game, while De Gea has conceded just 1.23 goals per game over the past three years. Onana makes a mistake once every 10 games. But De Gea makes one mistake every 20 games (half that rate),” said Onana, who was brought in to fill De Gea’s void.
“Turnbach appears to have replaced De Gea, who struggles with the ball with his feet, with Onana, who has problems with his hands. He was right to point out the team’s defensive work. But in the match itself, it was important to use his hands better. He also strongly criticized Onana’s save on Sane’s shot, saying that it was close enough that it should have been a routine save.