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Sporting Life: Giroud is the master of blindfolded geometry
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France's Olivier Giroud celebrates scoring his team's first goal in their 3-1 round-of-16 World Cup win over Poland on Sunday.
PHOTO: AFP
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If Olivier Giroud requires a post-football profession, he could try blindfolded knife-throwing at a circus. He is, after all, a master of eyes-closed geometry.
You can replay the French striker’s World Cup goal against Poland from any angle, even at slowed-down speed on YouTube, but he doesn’t ever seem to look up. Yet in a split-second he computes where he is, who is coming, what the ’keeper is doing, how much to turn, and what his options are. It’s instinctive skill at its polished best.
