Greatness! Olivier Giroud becomes the oldest goalscorer in Europa League playoffs
Kenley Ward
Dailysports's expert
The veteran striker helped Lille advance to the next round.
Details: Tonight, in the second leg of the Europa League playoffs, French side Lille defeated Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade after extra time. But aside from progressing to the next round, the French team had another reason to celebrate.
On just the 4th minute of the match, Lille’s 39-year-old striker Olivier Giroud converted a penalty, making him the oldest player ever to score in a Europa League playoff match.
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Before Giroud, the record belonged to Edin Dzeko, who scored in the playoffs at the age of 38 years and 333 days. Giroud surpassed this by finding the net at 39 years and 149 days.
Giroud joined Lille last summer as a free agent from Los Angeles FC. Since then, Olivier has played 33 matches for the French club, scoring 9 goals and providing 1 assist. His current contract with Lille runs until the end of the season.