France forward Olivier Giroud has defended his performances at the World Cup by stating that he has not been far off scoring in matches.

The 31-year-old has endured a fruitless tournament from a personal perspective, playing more than eight hours of football without a single shot on target.

However, Giroud is confident that he can break his duck in the final and help Les Bleus to victory over Croatia in Moscow.

"Each time, there isn't much missing for me to score. Either I'm embarrassed at the last moment, or the defender covers well," the Chelsea striker told The Mirror.

"It is true that I would have liked to help the team more against ­Belgium in the semi-final. But it was not to be the case.

"But I remain confident in my chances of scoring in the final against Croatia and helping the team bring back this cup. I really hope to do it in the final. We are really on a small cloud and we hope to stay there."

Giroud's only notable contribution at Russia 2018 has been one assist.