Another injury could derail France’s hopes of winning the World Cup final against Argentina. Read here to find out what happened to Olivier Giroud and why the striker could be out of this historic match.
Ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, France were clearly the team facing the most absences due to injury or illness. Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Christopher Nkunku or Presnel Kimpembe. When the tournament began, Lucas Hernandez joined that list with a right knee injury in the opening game against Australia.
In addition, just before the semi-final against Morocco, a mysterious virus causing flu-like symptoms affected very important players such as Adrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano. None of them played that match. After securing their ticket to the final, Kingsley Coman, Raphael Varane and Ibrahima Konate also got the virus. Incredibly, Theo Hernandez (left knee) and Aurelien Tchouameni (hip) also had injuries.
However, Didier Deschamps had all the players at his disposal at the start of the last training session. Finally, everyone was healthy. A few minutes later, in a shocking development, it was shouted. Olivier Giroud suffered another injury in this training session, leaving him in doubt for the final.
Why is Olivier Giroud in doubt for the World Cup final?
After that last training session before the final, a report from prestigious L’Equipe said that Olivier Giroud had knee pain because of a hit during practice. In the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Giroud became the top-scorer in France’s history and is a serious candidate to win the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball.
Considering this scenario, many reports from France’s base camp warned that Didier Deschamps already tried a tactical alternative. He used almost the same starting lineup that won against England in the quarterfinals, but with one major change. Olivier Giroud out, Marcus Thuram in on the left side and Kylian Mbappe taking Giroud’s spot as center forward.
Though Olivier Giroud has not been oficially ruled out of the final, Didier Deschamps had his players ready for the next man up scenario with Marcus Thuram. In an uphill battle against injuries, France might have to face one more challenge if they want the trophy against Argentina.
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