Olivier Giroud believes he was unfortunate to be sent off against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night, blaming instead the antics of Paris Saint-Germain’s Marco Verratti for an unedifying altercation towards the end that led to both men receiving a second yellow card. It is the second time in two seasons Giroud has been sent off in Arsenal’s opening Champions League fixture away from home, having picked up a straight red against Dinamo Zagreb last year. Arsenal’s first-choice centre-forward will now miss the home tie against Basel.
“I’d already been booked so didn’t want to make trouble,” Giroud said. “I made a small challenge on Verratti but he threw himself on to the ground. I didn’t understand, so I asked him: ‘What are you doing?’ Then he got up quickly and Marquinhos pushed me from behind. I don’t know how Verratti fell over a second time. I didn’t go looking for trouble so it’s frustrating. I think that the referee was tricked. Verratti was also on a yellow, so I was surprised by his behaviour.”
Giroud had a curious night in Paris, coming on midway through the second half and leading Arsenal’s attack with some conviction as Alexis Sánchez equalised, before picking up two yellows in the dying minutes. With Lucas Pérez, Sánchez and Theo Walcott candidates to play up front, Arsenal will miss Giroud’s power and heading ability for a home fixture that might have suited his strengths against a deep-lying defence.
The absence of Verratti for PSG’s next game, against Ludogorets, is a also a significant blow, the Italian’s passing providing a vital note of craft in an otherwise muscular midfield. If Giroud had a night to echo his worst memories of last year’s campaign, David Ospina will have gone some way towards burying the memories of his high-profile howler against Olympiakos at the Emirates last season with a perky, asse
rtive performance in goal.
