Frank Lampard heaped praise on "ultimate professional" Olivier Giroud after the veteran French striker took his rare chance in Chelsea's starting lineup to score all four goals in the 4-0 Champions League win over Sevilla on Wednesday.
Giroud, whose only previous start this season came in the League Cup defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, was handed a start after scoring a vital late winner as a substitute in Chelsea's last Champions League outing at Rennes.
At 34 years and 63 days, Giroud became the oldest player to score a Champions League hat-trick and also the oldest to do it in the European Cup since former Hungarian great Ferenc Puskas did so in September 1965 for Real Madrid against Feyenoord.
He also became the first Chelsea player to score four goals in a single game since his manager Lampard achieved the feat against Aston Villa in March 2010.
"He is the ultimate professional," Lampard said after Chelsea secured the top spot in Group E with a match to spare.
"He isn't always a regular but his performances have shown that he is a great sign for young players to keep training well. It was an amazing performance, to score four goals in the Champions League is a fantastic achievement.
"It was a complete performance and I am delighted for him."
It was the second time the France striker had netted four in a game in his career but the previous occasion will seem like a distant memory as it came in the French second division for Tours against Arles-Avignon in 2009.
Giroud acknowledged he had a memorable night against Europa League holders Sevilla, who were lucky not to have lost by a bigger margin to the rampant visitors.
"When I am on the pitch I just try to enjoy it," he said. "I try to be patient and keep the faith, I just try to give something else to the team. Sometimes you feel anything can happen and this night was one of them."
Given Giroud's limited game time so far this season - having established himself as Chelsea's first-choice striker following the coronavirus shutdown - speculation has been rife that the France international could leave the club during the January transfer window.
However, Lampard previously stressed Giroud's importance to his plans when he said: “Oli is very important. “I want Oli to stay here because he will play. He was a big member of our squad last season."
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Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
Background: Chemical Weapons
