AC Milan to Sell Giroud Keeper Kits After His Stint in Goal 

Milan's Olivier Giroud (R) as goalkeeper jubilates with his teammates after the Italian Serie A match Genoa CFC vs AC Milan at Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy, 07 October 2023. (EPA)
Milan's Olivier Giroud (R) as goalkeeper jubilates with his teammates after the Italian Serie A match Genoa CFC vs AC Milan at Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy, 07 October 2023. (EPA)
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AC Milan to Sell Giroud Keeper Kits After His Stint in Goal 

Milan's Olivier Giroud (R) as goalkeeper jubilates with his teammates after the Italian Serie A match Genoa CFC vs AC Milan at Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy, 07 October 2023. (EPA)
Milan's Olivier Giroud (R) as goalkeeper jubilates with his teammates after the Italian Serie A match Genoa CFC vs AC Milan at Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy, 07 October 2023. (EPA)

Fans will be able to buy an AC Milan goalkeeper kit with Olivier Giroud's name printed on the back, the Serie A club said after the striker's heroics in goal in a 1-0 win at Genoa on Saturday.

Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan was shown a red card late in stoppage time and Giroud took his place, making a brilliant save to deny George Puscas just before the final whistle.

Milan also added Giroud to the list of first-team goalkeepers on their website.

"Last night Olivier Giroud became part of Milan history by courageously defending the AC Milan goal in the final minutes of the Rossoneri's match against Genoa," Milan said in a statement.

"The club has decided to honor his performance in its last line of defense by putting him in the list of goalkeepers. Additionally, fans can now purchase the goalkeeper jersey and customize it with 'Giroud 9'."

The home goalkeeper jersey in Milan's official store was sold out on Monday.



Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv Plays Soccer Game Without Incident in Hungary

28 November 2024, Berlin: Maccabi Tel Aviv fans wave Israeli flags in the stands during the EuroLeague Basketball match between Alba Berlin and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Uber Arena. Photo: Andreas Gora/dpa
28 November 2024, Berlin: Maccabi Tel Aviv fans wave Israeli flags in the stands during the EuroLeague Basketball match between Alba Berlin and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Uber Arena. Photo: Andreas Gora/dpa
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Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv Plays Soccer Game Without Incident in Hungary

28 November 2024, Berlin: Maccabi Tel Aviv fans wave Israeli flags in the stands during the EuroLeague Basketball match between Alba Berlin and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Uber Arena. Photo: Andreas Gora/dpa
28 November 2024, Berlin: Maccabi Tel Aviv fans wave Israeli flags in the stands during the EuroLeague Basketball match between Alba Berlin and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Uber Arena. Photo: Andreas Gora/dpa

Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv's game against Besiktas in the Europa League was played without incident before empty stands in Hungary on Thursday, with the stadium closed to fans over security concerns following attacks on Israeli supporters in Amsterdam this month.
Maccabi won the game 3-1 on a cold and rainy evening in Debrecen, Hungary's second-largest city. Groups of police patrolled outside the stadium but security levels did not appear overwhelming in the city of around 200,000 residents, The Associated Press reported.
After the match, Maccabi coach Zarko Lazetic said playing in front of an empty stadium without fans is always a struggle for the team.
“We play football because of the fans, to give them some pleasure, some excite(ment) and to be together,” he said.
Israel’s soccer teams play domestic games at home despite the Israel-Hamas war. But European soccer body UEFA has ruled that the war in Gaza means Israel cannot host international games.
The Thursday match was Maccabi’s first in Europe since its fans were assaulted in the Netherlands on Nov. 7 in attacks that were condemned as antisemitic by authorities in Israel and across Europe.
Before that match in Amsterdam, a large crowd of Israeli fans chanted anti-Arab slogans, and later, youths on scooters and on foot crisscrossed the city in search of Israeli fans, punching and kicking them, according to the city's mayor.
Five people were treated in hospitals and police detained dozens of people.
Even before the Amsterdam attacks, the European soccer body UEFA announced that Thursday’s Europa League match, originally scheduled to take place in Istanbul, would be moved to a neutral venue “following a decision by the Turkish authorities.”
Hungary, which has hosted several home games for Israel’s national team since the war in Gaza began, agreed to host the game.