Olivier Giroud will never be considered an all-time great footballer, but the Frenchman wins wherever he goes. He added yet another trophy to his considerable mantle while scoring a brace on Sunday.
Giroud’s two goals helped AC Milan beat Sassuolo 3-0 on Sunday, rendering Inter Milan’s 3-0 win over Sampdoria moot. The Rossoneri edged the Nerazzurri for the Serie A crown 86 points to 84, claiming Milan’s first Scudetto since 2011.
AC MILAN'S FIRST LEAGUE TITLE SINCE 2011.
JUST LOOK WHAT IT MEANS TO THE PLAYERS AND FANS. pic.twitter.com/ijSpMpw7Gu— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 22, 2022
AC Milan now has 19 Serie A crowns, even with Inter Milan for second place behind Juventus’ 36 Scudettos.
Giroud scored two goals in the first 32 minutes to end any chances of a dramatic final day. While Manchester City and Liverpool left their wins for late (very late), Milan was up 3-0 at halftime. Though Inter took a little longer to get going, three goals in the first 15 minutes of the second half meant the final half hour of the title race wasn’t nearly as exciting as the race in England.
Giroud has now won a Serie A crown, Ligue 1 trophy, the Champions League, the Europa League and the small matter of the World Cup in 2018. Even at Arsenal, Giroud won three FA Cups, proving he can win anywhere. With two on Sunday, he finished with nine Serie A goals, one more than teammate Zlatan Ibrahimović.
RAFAEL LEÃO FINDS OLIVIER GIROUD TO GIVE MILAN THE BREAKTHROUGH! pic.twitter.com/4pABrOziuY
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 22, 2022
THEY'RE AT IT AGAIN
RAFAEL LEAO FINDS OLIVIER GIROUD FOR MILAN'S SECOND. pic.twitter.com/Il1rl6Pomv— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 22, 2022
That said, if you’re looking for Milan’s most influential attacker this season, look no further than the man who set up both of Giroud’s goals on Sunday. Rafael Leão had 11 goals and nine assists in league play, the 22-year-old Portuguese playmaker having by far the best season of his career. He also set up Franck Kessie’s goal to make it a hat trick of assists.
FRANCK KESSIE MAKES IT THREE! AC MILAN ARE RUNNING RIOT
RAFAEL LEAO WITH A HAT-TRICK OF ASSISTS pic.twitter.com/2pIgJu9k4k— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 22, 2022
Back in Milan, Inter finally founds its groove in the second half with goals from Ivan Perišić and Joaquin Correa (two).
Ivan Perisic finds his 8th goal of the season for Inter. pic.twitter.com/XhTTnDEKWU
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 22, 2022
JOAQUIN CORREA. QUE GOLAZO. pic.twitter.com/sntKgjB6rh
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 22, 2022
TWO GOALS IN TWO MINUTES. JOAQUIN CORREA GETS HIS BRACE pic.twitter.com/wBFQxfECCo
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 22, 2022
The goals, in the end, didn’t matter, as AC Milan held on to top spot. Napoli finished third and Juventus fourth to complete the Champions League places.
