This archive report was first published on 30 August 2021.
On Sunday, August 29, Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham marked their Serie A debuts with goals, as AC Milan and Roma respectively secured convincing wins in the league's opening two fixtures.
France forward Giroud, who has not been selected for Les Bleus' upcoming World Cup qualifiers, scored a brace in AC Milan's 4-1 win over Cagliari at the San Siro. Abraham, meanwhile, scored in Roma's 4-0 rout of promoted Salernitana.
Both strikers left European champions Chelsea this summer in search of more regular football and have made a promising start in Italy. Giroud has been given the number nine jersey at Milan and scored the third and fourth goals in an easy victory at the San Siro.
His name was sung by a large portion of the 31,000 Milan fans present, who watched their team dominate the match. Giroud expressed his pride in playing for Milan and the San Siro stadium, stating, 'I am very proud to play for Milan and to play in the San Siro stadium. It is a great emotion.'
He also drew inspiration from Milan's legendary strikers, saying, 'I believe in myself and in my abilities. As a child I used to watch Van Basten, Papin and Inzaghi and wearing this shirt makes me happy.'
AC Milan's Sandro Tonali gave his team a 12th-minute lead with a stunning free-kick, and Rafael Leao claimed the second after Alessandro Deiola's surprise header levelled the scores. Giroud then artfully guided home his first Milan goal following a superb run and pass from Brahim Diaz, and when Kevin Strootman's handball was judged to have taken place in the penalty area by VAR, the 34-year-old stepped up and stroked the spot-kick home.
Abraham, meanwhile, crashed home the third goal in the 69th minute at Salernitana as a flurry of second-half goals gave Jose Mourinho's team a comprehensive win in the Italian south. Roma struggled to break down the hosts in the opening period but a double from Lorenzo Pellegrini and a third goal in two games from Jordan Veretout gave the capital club a deserved win.
Both teams sit in a pack of five on a perfect six points, which also includes leaders Lazio, Inter Milan, and Napoli, who earlier got a hard-fought 2-1 win at Genoa thanks to Andrea Petagna's late header.
