Olivier Giroud was officially made a goalkeeper by AC Milan on Sunday after the France striker’s heroics between the sticks at Genoa helped his team take top spot in Serie A.
Veteran forward Giroud took Mike Maignan’s place in the Milan goal after his Les Bleus teammate was sent off in the seventh minute of injury time and did enough to ensure the away side won 1-0 and moved two points ahead of local rivals Inter Milan.
“Last night Olivier Giroud became part of Milan history by courageously defending the Milan goal in the final minutes of our match with Genoa,” Milan said in a statement.
“The club has decided to honour his performance in our last line of defence by putting him in the list of goalkeepers.”
Milan also said that fans could buy a replica goalkeepers’ jersey with “Giroud 9” on the back as an homage to an incredible ending to Saturday’s tight victory.
Giroud can be seen on Milan’s website smiling in the goalkeeping kit — which on Saturday night he said he would frame — above a perfect record of zero goals conceded in his seven league appearances this season.
He was brought on as a substitute midway through the second half at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris to help Milan break down a stubborn Genoa.
But instead Giroud was key to holding off a stoppage time siege from Genoa after Christian Pulisic put Milan ahead in the 87th minute.
Giroud could only watch on helplessly as Albert Gudmundsson clipped a free-kick off the crossbar right after Maignan was dismissed for wiping out Caleb Ekuban and the 37-year-old pulled on the goalkeeper’s jersey and gloves.
And he capped an incredible ending to a match, in which Genoa’s goalkeeper Josep Martinez was also sent off, by rushing out of his goal to twice deny Genoa and ensure Milan took the three points back to the San Siro.
In the aftermath of Milan’s win Genoa’s livid president Alberto Zangrillo called Maignan’s challenge, in which the goalkeeper charged out of his goal and while trying to head the ball clear kneed Ekuban in the head, “murderous”.
On Sunday Maignan blasted back at Zangrillo, who was also deceased former Italian president Silvio Berlusconi’s personal doctor.
“Zangrillo! Words have meaning. What happened yesterday was a gamble, maybe a deplorable gamble, but in no way murderous,” said Maignan on Instagram.
“I hope you never have to be accused of what you have accused me of.”
Maignan will miss Milan’s clash with fierce rivals Juventus after the international break — as will suspended France teammate Theo Hernandez — but risks a longer ban which would also rule him out of their trip to Naples at the end of month.
