Having produced one of the great individual Chelsea performances, written himself into the history books and helped us secure top spot in our Champions League group, Olivier Giroud spoke about the enormity of his achievement and the potential in this Blues squad.
Giroud’s four-goal haul against Sevilla was the first by a Chelsea player in over a decade (Frank Lampard the last to do so) and the first time anyone has scored that many goals for us in a single Champions League game.
At 34, he is the oldest player to notch a treble in Europe’s elite competition since the legendary Ferenc Puskas, but last night’s performance was further proof Giroud is, if anything, getting better with age.
‘It’s always nice to be a part of club history,’ he acknowledged in the aftermath of one of the most special nights of his career.
‘You play football to write great stories. I’m proud. I had great assists from my team-mates and I just tried to finish the job.
‘When I’m on the pitch I’m the happiest man. I just try to be patient, keep the faith and bring something else to the team. It is always special to play in the Champions League and it was an important game to finish first in the group, so I’m pleased to help the team to win.
‘Sometimes you feel anything can happen, and that was one of them.’
Giroud revealed it was the second time in his professional career he had bagged four goals. The first came during his spell with Ligue 2 side Tours in a win against Arles-Avignon, but there is no question this quadruple will garner more attention.
With the Blues going well in the Premier League and assured of first place in Champions League Group E with a game to spare, it appears things are really coming together for Lampard and his side. Giroud assessed that progress and turned his attention to our next assignment, a Premier League fixture against Leeds in which some Chelsea supporters will be present for the first time since March.
‘We are working hard in training to improve and reach our targets,’ he explained.
‘Our ambition is to compete with the best teams in the Premier League, and in the Champions League to go as far as we can. We have shown we have a great squad and we can count on a lot of talented players. It will give us the opportunity to play in both competitions.
‘We are doing a great job and we need to keep the momentum up. It’s been a long time we have missed our fans. Football is not the same sport, the passion is not the same without fans, so we are looking forward to Saturday and hope we have a nice welcome for them.’