Giroud scores as Lille give Davide Ancelotti winning start / Photo: Sebastien Salom-Gomis - AFP
Giroud scores as Lille give Davide Ancelotti winning start
Olivier Giroud scored the opening goal as Lille gave Davide Ancelotti a winning start as coach with a 2-0 victory at Angers in their Ligue 1 opener on Sunday.
Former France striker Giroud, who turns 40 next month, broke the deadlock in the 11th minute with an excellent low drive from long range after collecting Nabil Bentaleb's pass.
Tiago Santos volleyed in a loose ball to double the advantage just after the half-hour mark at the end of an excellent Lille move.
Davide Ancelotti, son of coaching great Carlo Ancelotti, took over at Lille in June following the departure of Bruno Genesio who is now at Marseille.
Lille finished third in the French top flight last season to qualify for the Champions League league phase.
Later Sunday, Paris Saint-Germain start their bid for a sixth straight Ligue 1 title when they visit Rennes, in a match moved from the Parc des Princes due to the poor state of its pitch.
H.Qureshi--al-Hayat
