Griezmann, Giroud and the French rolled past Iceland and into the semis (VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images)
Final Score
France 4-1 5
Iceland 0-2 2
Sunday afternoon the final semifinal spot in EURO 2016 was filled, with hosts France taking care of upstarts Iceland by the final score of 5-2 at the Stade de France. France really hadn’t hit their stride in any of their first four matches at EURO 2016, not scoring in the first half of any of those matches.
That wasn’t an issue for Didier Deschamps’ team Sunday, as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead inside of 20 minutes on goals from Olivier Giroud and Paul Pogba.
Fance would ultimately lead 4-0 at the intermission, sewing up a spot in the semifinals against Germany in the process. Iceland didn’t lie down however, as they scored two goals in the second half to bring some respectability to the outcome. Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet scored four of France’s five goals, with Giroud tallying two, and they’re the first trio of teammates with three or more goals apiece in the same European Championships in the history of the event.
Next up for France is Germany, who they’ll meet in the semifinal round Thursday in Marseille.
Iceland Pulls Back Two But It Wasn’t Enough in the End
France was able to close things out after Iceland’s second goal, advancing into the semifinal round where they’ll take on reigning World champions Germany.
Iceland pulled back a second goal in the 83rd minute, as Birkir Bjarnason headed a cross past Hugo Lloris and into the lower left corner of the France keeper’s net. Bjarnason scored Iceland’s lone goal in their 1-1 draw with Portugal in group play.
Central defender Laurent Koscielny was also subbed off, as a yellow card would have resulted in him missing the semifinal. Mangala came on as his replacement in the 72nd minute.
Two minutes later Giroud scored his second of the match, getting his head on a free kick from Payet to make the score 5-1. Shortly thereafter Giroud was subbed off, so as to avoid a yellow card that would rule him out for the semifinal match against Germany.
Iceland’s chances of a comeback look incredibly slim, but they didn’t lie down either. Iceland broke through in the 56th minute on a goal from Sigthorsson, the first goal that France has allowed in open play in EURO 2016.
France Dominates First Half, Takes 4-0 Lead Into Half
Payet’s lead in the Golden Boot competition lasted all of two minutes, as Griezmann chipped the keeper to make the score 4-0 France. Griezmann’s scored a tournament-high four goals in EURO 2016, and this is the first time in the history of the European Championships that a team has scored four goals in the first half of a match.
Payet makes it 3-0 for #FRA
t.co/8Y11om3ZUO
Two minutes before halftime the French essentially put the match away, with Dimitri Payet taking a pass from Griezmann and calmly scoring on a left-footed shot to make the score 3-0. Payet, coming off of a very good season at West Ham United, has scored three goals in EURO 2016.
And this is Pogba’s goal to make it 2-0 #FRAISL t.co/1rRFc0qeYo
Eight minutes later France extended its lead to 2-0, as Paul Pogba headed home a corner for his first goal of the tournament. Pogba wasn’t picked up on the run until he was already in the air for the header, which was far too late to keep him from connecting with Antoine Griezmann’s in-swinging cross.
France began the match in better form than they’d been at the start of any of their first four matches at EURO 2016. And in the 12th minute Olivier Giroud got on the end of a Blaise Matuidi pass and beat the Iceland keeper Halldorsson to give France a 1-0 lead. Giroud’s goal, his second of the tournament, was France’s first in the first half of a match at EURO 2016.
France vs. Iceland Lineups
France will stick with their 4-2-3-1 setup, but there will be two changes due to yellow card accumulation. With Adil Rami and N’golo Kante sidelined due to yellow card accumulation, Samuel Umtiti and Moussa Sissoko are in the starting 11 for Les Bleus. Iceland, which will not be without any starters due to yellow card accumulation, will stick with its usual setup of a 4-4-2 for today’s match.
France: Lloris (C); Evra, Umtiti, Koscielny, Sagna; Matuidi, Pogba; Payet, Griezmann, Sissoko; Giroud.
Iceland: Halldorsson; Skulason, R. Sigurdsson, Arnason, Saevarsson; Bjarnason, Gunnarsson (C), G. Sigurdsson, Gudmundsson; Sigthorsson, Bodvarsson.
Et voici la compo des Bleus!!! Hugo capitaine, 1re sélection pour @UmtitiSam ! #FiersdetreBleus #FRAISL #Euro2016
