World Cup

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World Cup Qualifying - Europe | Group Stage

Sep 3, 2017 at 7.45pm UK

France
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Luxembourg

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Football

France striker Olivier Giroud 'frustrated' after shock home draw

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 04 September 2017

France striker Olivier Giroud opens up on the 'frustration' of failing to overcome minnows Luxembourg, leaving Les Bleus with work to do if they are to reach Russia 2018.

Olivier Giroud has confessed that there is a lot of 'frustration and disappointment' in the France camp following Sunday's surprise goalless draw at home to Luxembourg.

The minnows snatched an unlikely point at the Stadium Municipal - just their fifth of the campaign - to dent Les Bleus' hopes of reaching the 2018 World Cup.

France moved to the top of the Group A standings with the draw, but Giroud believes that it will now require maximum points from games against Bulgaria and Belarus next month to hold off Sweden and the Netherlands.

"There is a lot of frustration and disappointment," he told RMC. "We have to be realistic, efficient. We had to open the scoring in the first half and make things easier for ourselves. We're going to have to win the last two games to go to the World Cup. It's never easy to qualify."

France, ranked 126 places above Luxembourg in the FIFA rankings, are currently one point ahead of Sweden and four in front of the Netherlands.