DBasia.news – Chelsea striker, Olivier Giroud acknowledged that he was highly motivated and that it was all the more special when the Blues defeated his former team, Arsenal in the Europa League final last season.
The French player has played for the Gunners for five and a half years, scoring 105 goals for the club before moving to Chelsea in January 2018.
He immediately enjoyed success with his new club, winning the FA Cup in 2018 and then the Europa League the following year when Chelsea beat Arsenal 4-1 in the final.
Giroud opened the scoring that night in Baku, Azerbaijan and he did not hesitate to admit that playing with his former club gave him an extra boost to prove something to his former club.
“The final against Arsenal was obviously special to me emotionally,” Giroud said on the official Chelsea website. “When I saw that we would face Arsenal in the final, I knew it would be special.”
“Besides, it was only one year after I left. I have quite a few friends there, people who work in offices in clubs. That is extra motivation for me and I know it will be a high-tension match. “
In the final match Giroud opened the scoring in the 49th minute and then Chelsea won a landslide victory thanks to goals from Pedro and brace from Eden Hazard.
Giroud himself became the top scorer in the Europa League that season with a record of 11 goals.