Pro Sports

France coach Deschamps again leaves out Giroud from squad

Posted September 30, 2021 7:00 am

By JEROME PUGMIRE

Liverpool's Naby Keita, right, holds off AC Milan's Olivier Giroud during the Champions League Group B soccer match between Liverpool and AC Milan at Anfield, in Liverpool, England, Wednesday Sept. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira) The Associated Press

PARIS (AP) - France coach Didier Deschamps again left out veteran striker Olivier Giroud on Thursday for the Nations League semifinal match against Belgium next week.

Giroud turned 35 on Thursday and is second on France's all-time scoring list with 46 goals, close behind Thierry Henry's record of 51.

But he has fallen out of favor with Deschamps.

The former Chelsea striker was also left out of the last squad and expressed his surprise last Sunday in a television interview, saying Deschamps had not informed him prior to announcing the roster.

Giroud has netted two goals in five games for his new club, AC Milan.

Anthony Martial keeps his place despite not scoring in six games for Manchester United this season.

But Martial did score in France's 1-1 draw at Ukraine in a 2022 World Cup qualifier in early September.

France plays Belgium in the northern Italian city of Turin next Thursday with the winner facing either European Champion Italy or Spain in the final.

Spain lost to Italy in the Euro 2020 semifinals in July.

A rare sight in soccer could see brothers Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich) and Theo Hernandez (AC Milan) line up together against Belgium in defense and midfield.

'œIt hasn't happened for a long time, I think the last time was the Revelli brothers (Herve and Patrick) in the early 1970s,'ť Deschamps said. 'œI won't look at them as two brothers but as two players.'ť

France beat Belgium in the 2018 World Cup semifinals on the way to winning the tournament for the second time.

'œThey are one of the best sides in the world at the moment,'ť Deschamps said.

___

France:

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Benoit Costil (Bordeaux).

Defenders: Lucas Digne (Everton), Leo Dubois (Lyon), Lucas Hernandez (Bayern Munich), Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint-Germain), Jules Kounde (Sevilla), Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Raphael Varane (Manchester United).

Midfielders: Matteo Guendouzi (Marseille), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), Aurelien Tchouameni (Monaco), Jordan Veretout (Roma).

Forwards: Wissam Ben Yedder (Monaco), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Anthony Martial (Manchester United), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain).

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

AC Milan's Olivier Giroud reacts at the end of the Champions League Group B soccer match between Liverpool and AC Milan at Anfield, in Liverpool, England, Wednesday Sept. 15, 2021. Liverpool won the match 3-2. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira) The Associated Press

French national soccer team coach Didier Deschamps sits in the stands for the French League One soccer match between Monaco and Marseille at the Stade Louis II in Monaco Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole) The Associated Press

France's coach Didier Deschamps applauds during the World Cup 2022 group D qualifying soccer match between France and Finland at Decines stadium in Lyon, France, Tuesday Sept. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Laurent Cirpiani) The Associated Press

Bayern's Lucas Hernandez, left, and Furth's Jeremy Dudziak battle for the ball during the Bundesliga soccer match between SpVgg Greuther Furth and Bayern Munich at Sportpark Ronhof in Furth, Germany, Friday Sept. 24, 2021. (Daniel Karmann/dpa via AP) The Associated Press

AC Milan's Theo Hernandez, right vies for the ball with Atletico Madrid's Angel Correa during the Champions League group B soccer match between AC Milan and Atletico Madrid at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers MLS Pro Sports Soccer Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.