Olivier Giroud looked back at Milan’s Champions League quarter-final win over Napoli, revealing how he reacted after missing a penalty in the first half.
The Rossoneri edged out a 1-1 draw with the Partenopei at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, enough to secure their spot in the Champions League semi-final and eliminated the Serie A league leaders.
Giroud has proven himself a particularly useful player for Stefano Pioli’s Milan this season, being a regular source of goals in a season where Zlatan Ibrahimovic has mostly been sidelined with injury and Divock Origi has failed settle.
Speaking to L’Equipe, Giroud discussed his missed penalty against Napoli and how he used this to motivate himself further, allowing him to score the winning goal at the end of the first half.
“When Meret saved my penalty, it was in my head. At the end of the game, I went to ask him if he knew where I was going to shoot. He told me: ‘There’.
“I stayed focused. Like after the chance I had against England in the World Cup, I scored shortly afterwards.
“I knew I would have more chances. Meret then made another save, but I didn’t miss the third chance.
“I ended Leao’s work. When he has space, Rafa is devastating. I knew where I had to put myself. I played on one leg, I hurt a tendon.
“Like the whole team, I sacrificed myself. This team has a sense of collective. With this spirit, we can dream of everything.”
Giroud recently signed a new one-year contract with Milan, extending his stay with the club to June 2024. This season, he has scored 13 goals and provided six assists across 38 total appearances.
‘I didn’t miss the third chance…’! A dead donkey would’ve tucked away that chance.