Giroud’s scorpion kick gets him a Puskas nomination

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud has made the three-goal shortlist for FIFA’s 2017 Puskas Award.

The 31-year-old is up against teenager Deyna Castellanos and goalkeeper Oscarine Masuluke for the “most beautiful goal of the season” after his strike against Crystal Palace in January.

Giroud produced an improvised scorpion kick which went in off the crossbar in the Gunners’ 2-0 win over Palace on New Year’s Day.

Castellanos, 18, plays for Santa Clarita Blue Heat in United Women’s Soccer, the second division pro-am women’s soccer league in America.

She is the second Venezuelan teen to reach the final three after Daniuska Rodriguez and was nominated for her effort from the halfway line against Cameroon at the Women’s Under-17 World Cup in Jordan last year.

Baroka’s Masuluke became the first goalkeeper to be nominated after scoring an injury-time overhead-kick in a 1-1 draw against Orlando Pirates in South Africa’s Premier Soccer League last season.

Penang’s Mohd Faiz Subri, who plays in the Malaysian Super League, won the 2016 award with a 40-yard swerving free kick.