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Sports / Football

Giroud hat-trick lifts France past Paraguay

Published: 03 Jun 2017 - 08:52 am | Last Updated: 15 Nov 2021 - 08:37 pm
(From L) France's midfielder Moussa Sissoko, France's forward Olivier Giroud and France's midfielder N'Golo Kante react at the end of the friendly football match France vs Paraguay on June 2, 2017 at the Roazhon Park stadium in Rennes. France won 5-0. / A

(From L) France's midfielder Moussa Sissoko, France's forward Olivier Giroud and France's midfielder N'Golo Kante react at the end of the friendly football match France vs Paraguay on June 2, 2017 at the Roazhon Park stadium in Rennes. France won 5-0. / A

AFP

Rennes, France: An Olivier Giroud hat-trick helped France brush aside Paraguay 5-0 in an international friendly at Rennes on Friday.

The Arsenal striker became the first France international to score a treble since David Trezeguet achieved the feat in 2000.

He opened the scoring for Didier Deschamps's team in the sixth minute, doubling up in the 13th and getting his hat-trick and his 16th international goal in as many games in the 69th minute.

The scoring was completed by Tottenham's Moussa Sissoko and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann to give France the perfect confidence booster ahead of the 2018 World Cup qualifier against Sweden in Stockholm on June 9.