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Hugo Lloris hails Olivier Giroud as ‘an example’ to follow.
Hugo Lloris, the captain of France, praised Olivier Giroud and referred to him as “an inspiration to never give up.”
Giroud scored a brace as France defeated Australia 4-1 to start their World Cup defence, becoming the team’s all-time leading scorer alongside Thierry Henry.
If Karim Benzema’s pre-tournament injury hadn’t occurred, the Milan striker might not have even started the match. Lloris is pleased to see that his unwavering persistence has paid off.
“I think Olivier Giroud deserved a lot of credit,” Lloris said after the match. “He is an example of football to never give up.
“The last few months he was in and he was out but he never lost focus and it is important. It is a big achievement to equal Thierry Henry and I hope he will go ahead. For all the team it is a good start and for the striker two goals is great.”
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Particularly in the first half when Australia unexpectedly took the lead early, France had to battle hard for victory.
Lloris, though, says the fact France were able to come back so strongly is a testament to their character.
“I think we have got the credit of a good reaction and we stepped up and started to control the game, he said. “We can be pleased with the performance but we know we have to improve game by game.
“The key was to stay cool after going behind. We have a lot of young players but we have some with experience so we have a good mix and we can feel it on the pitch.
“It is one very good step into this World Cup and now we are going to focus on preparing for Denmark.”
France will face Denmark in their second game before ending the World Cup group stage against Tunisia.