Mind transfer, that seemed the best explanation. In the moment Olivier Giroud cracked open this FA Cup semi-final for Chelsea, he must have temporarily swapped brains with Eden Hazard.

That would explain how the 6ft 3in Frenchman was able to dance through a compact Southampton defence like a man a whole foot shorter; first inside then outside, keeping his balance after being tripped, before adjusting http://www.officialtorontomapleleafs.com/Adidas-Kris-Versteeg-Jersey his feet to poke the ball into the goal. As soon as the net rippled, the brains must also have switched back, allowing Giroud to celebrate in the chest-out, peacocking fashion he has made his own.

So that’s one theory. Another is that for a man renowned for his functional qualities, Giroud is a dab hand at scoring exceptional goals. There’s the scorpion kick of course, scored last year for Arsenal against Crystal Palace, his movement like that of a man who had miscalculated a cartwheel in the most glorious fashion. But there have been others too. He has scored backheeled front‑post flicks for both club and country. He has a knack for setting himself up for a scissor-kick. Give him the space and he will also larrup a drive in off the bar from 25 yards, no questions asked.
Last weekend Giroud was the active agent as Chelsea clawed their way back from two goals down to beat Southampton 3-2 in the Premier League. In that game the substitute embodied all the qualities Antonio Conte Marian Gaborik Womens Jersey venerates but were so lacking in his team-mates; strength, determination, full-blooded commitment. In midweek against Burnley Giroud was given a starting role, alongside his striking rival Álvaro Morata. This weekend, he started alone up front with Hazard and Willian buzzing around him.
An FA Cup winner in two of the past three seasons, Giroud has won all 10 of his club appearances at Wembley. He jokes that the national stadium is “my garden” and he played the first half like a man determined to do some landscaping.
A team that thrives on the counterattack http://www.authenticmlbrangersstore.com/Authentic-Rougned-Odor-Jersey does not suit Giroud’s natural game and what impact he made in the opening 45 minutes he had to carve out for himself. He flashed a Hazard cutback around the near post in the 25th minute. He won a corner through persistent pressing. In the 39th minute he took a looping cross from César Azpilicueta and tried first to backheel it into the net and then, when the ball simply span up in the air, smashed it just wide with that scissor-kick of his.
So the Giroud of the first half was that http://www.texansproshops.com/Brian_Cushing_Jersey_Cheap which you expect. The Giroud that began the second half was not. It helped that he got himself close to Hazard; the Belgian, playing near to his best, knew just where his forward was lurking. But after Hazard poked Giroud the ball few would have anticipated the balance, guile and, ultimately, follow through that led him to turn the ball home.
There was a worrying moment for the Chelsea No 18 just before Andrew Adams Jersey the hour when Oriel Romeu left something on him in a sliding challenge. Giroud’s left leg was caught under Romeu’s right and quivered as Datone Jones Womens Jersey the Spaniard put his weight through it. His team-mates surrounded him in concern. Giroud moved to Chelsea to try and save his place in the French squad at this summer’s World Cup and for a minute it looked like the dream was going up in smoke.
But Giroud struggled to his feet and played on. He was substituted with 10 minutes of the match remaining. At full time he hobbled off the bench again in his flip-flops to milk the applause of the crowd. Mbappe, Griezmann, Dembélé et al will all hope to star for Les Bleus this summer, but it seems unlikely that Didier Deschamps will not select Giroud too. Here, in his garden, he reminded everyone that his particular set of skills is not entirely common, and effective more often than you would think wholesale nfl jerseys wholesale nfl jerseys from china wholesale nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys from china cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys