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‘Big brother’ Giroud strikes late to lift Lille past Monaco | The Express Tribune
MARSEILLE:
Even though he is about to turn 39, Olivier Giroud promised “this is only the beginning” after striking in added time on Sunday to give Lille a 1-0 Ligue 1 win over visiting Monaco.
Giroud, the French national team’s all-time leading scorer, was brought in by Lille in part to replace Jonathan David, who was making a scoring Serie A debut for Juventus on Sunday night.
“It was a challenge I thought I could take on,” said Giroud. “I’m a man who likes a challenge.
“I’m enjoying myself, even if it’s a little harder to recover with age.”
Giroud had scored 11 minutes into his first outing for Lille as they drew 3-3 at Brest in the first round.
Sunday’s was a far cagier match, before Giroud broke the dull deadlock in the 91st minute.
Receiving the ball with his back to goal, the centre forward spun, glanced towards the far post and then, with goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky moving the wrong way, thumped a shot into the middle of the net.
“This is only the beginning,” said Giroud. “There will also be moments that are a little less cool, but we’ll deal with those too.”
With Monaco pressing, Lille won a penalty on the counter-attack but Giroud swerved his spot-kick over the bar. A “slight blemish”, he said.
“We needed this victory to get our season off to a flying start,” said Giroud.
“I’m going to continue… in this big brother role, which I quite enjoy.
“We have young players pushing behind us, and at some point they will also be able to contribute.”
Coach Bruno Genesio was impressed that Giroud did his damage in the closing minutes, praising the striker’s “technical mastery at the end of the match, despite his fatigue”.
“We played a real team game and he contributed a lot by keeping possession,” he added.
Earlier, Rennes had two players sent off in the first 10 minutes and four seconds at Lorient and went on to lose 4-0.
The week before Rennes had played an hour a man short but still beat Marseille 1-0.
“We need aggression,” said Rennes coach Habib Beye. “Last year we didn’t have enough, now we have too much.”
For Rennes the trouble once again started before kick-off.
Last week, central defender Mikayil Faye overslept and missed the season-opening win over Marseille in which another defender Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal was sent off. He was suspended for Sunday’s game.
With right-back Przemyslaw Frankowski injured, Mousa Al-Tamari was due to take over at wing-back. But the Jordanian arrived late for a pre-match meeting and was dropped by Beye.
Mahdi Camara, a summer arrival from Saint-Etienne, stepped in for his Rennes debut. It lasted four minutes.
Camara caught Lorient’s Dermane Karim in the head with a boot and was sent off.
In the 10th minute, Christopher Wooh brought down Aiyegun Tosin who was running at goal. Wooh was sent off.
“Unfortunately, both red cards were deserved,” said Beye.
Statistical service Opta said its Ligue 1 records went back to 1992 and it could find no previous instance of two players from the same team being sent off so soon after the opening whistle.
After an hour’s practice playing short-handed last week, the nine men held out until the fourth minute of first-half added time when Sambou Soumano gave the hosts the lead.
The visitors then unravelled. Tosin added a second two minutes into the second half, Pablo Pagis struck in the 65th minute and Theo Le Bris pounced four minutes later.
“Once we were down to nine men, it was a match we could no longer control, a match where we unfortunately had to shut up shop,” said Beye.
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Dolphins GM Chris Grier says fans threatened his family in string of vile emails after team’s lackluster year
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The Miami Dolphins finished last season with an 8-9 record and failed to qualify for the NFL playoffs. The disappointing year sparked ire from some of the Dolphins’ faithful.
Dolphins general manager Chris Grier spoke to the media on Wednesday, the day after trimming the team’s roster to 53 by the league’s deadline. Grier spoke about the general structure of the roster entering the 2025 campaign and also touched on the status of specific players as Week 1 draws closer.
But the media session took a turn when Grier revealed fan angst had resulted in emails targeting his children.
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General manager Chris Grier of the Miami Dolphins looks on prior to the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Hard Rock Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
“If I’m out, people have always been respectful and nice, and they just say ‘Hey, keep going. Appreciate you.’ The guys to my face have been nice. I know there’s people that are upset… (but) that’s any job,” Grier said.
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Grier acknowledged the angst that last season’s ending sparked.
“And if I was comfortable and saying I felt what things are, then I’m an a–h— …because I’m not being realistic about where we are as a team and where things are going …after last season. I’m frustrated like [them] that we didn’t win enough games last year. I understand that, I don’t take things personally. When I’m out, people have generally been very positive and stuff to me.”
Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier walks not the field prior to the game between the Miami Dolphins and the Tennessee Titans at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on Sept. 30, 2024. (Jasen Vinlove/Imagn Images)
“I’ve gotten some colorful emails from a couple of people…..[one] hoping my kids die of cancer,” Grier said. “That’s a fun one. That’s why I don’t take things very personal or real because other people have other issues and stuff in life.”
Aug 3, 2022; Miami Gardens, Florida, US; A general view of a Miami Dolphins helmet on the field during training camp at Baptist Health Training Complex. (Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports)
Grier was elevated to the Dolphins’ general manager post in 2016. He joined the franchise as a scout in 2000.
As it relates to pressing roster matters, Grier confirmed that cornerback Cam Smith will start the regular season on the non-football injury list. Smith appeared in six games during the 2024 season.
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Grier gave a positive update on running back De’Von Achane’s availability for the season opener against the Indianapolis Colts. Achane has recently been contending with a calf injury.
“All indications for us is that Achane will be ready Week 1 to go,” Grier told reporters on Wednesday.
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FORT LAUDERDALE:
Lionel Messi scored twice late on as Inter Miami fought back to beat Orlando City 3-1 and reach the final of the Leagues Cup on Wednesday.
After missing two straight matches with a right thigh injury, Messi converted a penalty in the 77th minute to pull Inter level at 1-1 then combined with Jordi Alba to put the hosts ahead in the 88th.
Telasco Segovia added a third in injury time as Miami returned to the final of the Leagues Cup, the cross-border competition featuring teams from Major League Soccer and Mexico’s Liga-MX.
Inter won it in 2023, Messi’s first season in MLS.
They will face reigning MLS Cup champions Los Angeles Galaxy or Seattle Sounders in Sunday’s final.
Orlando will play in a third-place game, and the top three finishers in the tournament earn berths in the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
In a high-energy first half, Croatia’s Marco Pasalic silenced the crowd at Miami’s Chase Stadium with a goal in first-half added time.
Luis Muriel slipped a pass into the area and Maximiliano Falcon’s attempt to clear it instead saw the ball deflect back to Pasalic, who rifled a left-footed shot into the net.
Inter players appealed saying the ball hit Pasalic’s arm but VAR confirmed the goal.
Orlando, who had twice humbled their cross-state rivals this season, continued to stymie Inter in the second half.
Luis Suarez forced a save from Orlando keeper Pedro Gallese while Messi twice threatened in the area only to find himself swamped in a sea of defenders.
Inter coach Javier Mascherano was visibly frustrated as he watched from the stands, having received a red card during the quarter-final win over Tigres UANL.
Orlando lost some momentum in the 59th minute when Guatemalan referee Walter Lopez denied them a penalty shout after Sergio Busquets’ foul on Ivan Angulo.
And the momentum shifted irrevocably Miami’s way in the 74th minute when substitute Tadeo Allende drew a foul in the box.
David Brekalo’s challenge included a tug on Allende’s jersey and earned him a second yellow card.
He departed as Messi went to the spot, the Argentine great firing past Gallese into the lower right corner of the net.
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi sparked joyous celebrations with his second goal 11 minutes later.
Orlando had won two prior matches against Miami this season by a combined 7-1 margin, including a 4-1 rout earlier this month.
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