Neil Humphreys: Giroud adds French polish
Veteran gives mediocre Les Bleus more muscle
France have an arsenal of attacking options so it's rather ironic that a Gunners reject has provided essential firepower.
Olivier Giroud wasn't wanted in North London, but he was invaluable to the French as he spearheaded a jittery 1-0 victory over Peru last night.
Les Bleus are into the knockout stages and the plucky Peruvians are going home, but the most discernible difference between the two sides was the grizzled, bearded veteran up front.
| FRANCE | PERU |
| 1 | 0 |
| (Kylian Mbappe 34) |
Giroud often looks like he's training for a cage fight rather than a place among those artistic French fancies. But the World Cup contenders can't seem to progress without him.
He set up the winner and presented his manager with an unexpected selection solution. Giroud can't be dropped in the knockout stages.
After six years in charge, there's a sense that Didier Deschamps is not so much a tactical wizard as he is Willy Wonka, still not sure what to make of all those wondrous raw materials at his disposal.
France could field a reputable World Cup XI with their reserves and cast-offs, but Deschamps has long toiled over the whiteboard, scribbling away in search of his best personnel and formation.
So he returned to basics against Peru. He went with the battering ram of Giroud and it proved to be a bit of a masterstroke.
In a French jersey, Giroud evokes warm memories of Germany's retired legend Miroslav Klose. Not a prolific forward for his club or even a prodigious talent, but he just gels for his country.
Giroud and France fit hand in glove. Being a totemic presence, Giroud offered a target for Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba, all of whom benefited from having a conventional striker ahead of them.
Giroud headed into Griezmann's path early on, but the Atletico Madrid forward crashed a shot against the 'keeper's legs. It was a sign of things to come.
At Arsenal and occasionally Chelsea, Giroud can resemble a lumbering striker, like a muscular doorman trying to keep pace with a couple of drunken clubbers.
But when he's surrounded with the guile and speed of Griezmann and Mbappe, others can do the running on his behalf, a smart delegation of duties that led to Les Bleus' excellent goal.
In the 34th minute, Pogba gathered possession and released a quick pass to Giroud, who made an intelligent, incisive run into the box. His effort ballooned off a defender and Mbappe stole a tap-in.
France teased with quick, artistic flourishes, the kind that should define their attacking play and Giroud was nearly always involved. He's 32 in September, but his no-frills physicality seems to liberate the younger, nimble men around him.
That said, the French remain an exasperating work in progress, even after six years of Deschamps' development.
Despite the obvious gulf in quality, the Peruvians more than matched France's commitment and were desperately unlucky not to equalise in the 50th minute, when Pedro Aquino smashed an astonishing curler against the woodwork from 20m.
The Peruvians pressed. Their swinging supporters controlled the terraces. They knew that their World Cup odyssey, their first since 1982, was coming to an end.
Jefferson Farfan found the side netting as Peru dominated the late exchanges, but N'Golo Kante remained an impenetrable rock of reliability.
Les Bleus held on and deserved victory - just - but Deschamps must demand improvement in the Round of 16.
France's undoubted talent needs a healthy injection of Giroud's tenacity if they're going to deliver on their World Cup potential.
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