METZ, France (AP) Striker Olivier Giroud finally silenced his doubters with two more goals as France beat Scotland 3-0 in its final warmup for the European Championship on Saturday.
France hosts Romania at Stade de France in the Euro 2016 opener next Friday, and Giroud looks certain to start after making it seven goals in the past seven games for France.
“Of course it’s always good for your confidence,” Giroud said. “We created a lot of chances tonight and I tried to finish off the good work of my teammates.”
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Giroud was jeered by his own fans when France beat Cameroon on Monday, despite scoring in a 3-2 win.
This time, he was cheered off the field when replaced midway through the second half by Andre-Pierre Gignac, now his rival in attack in the absence of Karim Benzema.
“It’s good,” Giroud said. “We’re getting close to the Euro and it’s important for us to all work together toward the same objective.”
Center half Laurent Koscielny got France’s other goal against a lackluster Scotland side that conceded all three in the first half.
Attacking midfielder Dimitri Payet, one of the best players in the English Premier League this season for West Ham, was involved in two of the goals, strengthening his claim for a start.
The 25,000-seat Saint-Symphorien Stadium in Metz was sold out, with more than 1,000 Scotland fans loudly backing their team. But coach Gordon Strachan’s side offered them little to get excited about.
“We could have scored more in the second half, but it’s a good result just before the Euro,” said France coach Didier Deschamps, whose side has 13 goals in the past four games.
