So, we now know the line-up of the semi-finals:
- Portugal v Wales – Wednesday, Lyon (8pm)
- Germany v France – Thursday, Marseille (8pm)
Who are you backing?
Full-time: France 5-2 Iceland
France are through to the semi-finals, where they will play Germany.
Two minutes of added time to play…
Here comes Eidur – Nice touch by Iceland just before they scored that goal — sending on 37-year-old Eidur Gujohnsen for the remaining minutes.
GOAL! France 5-2 Iceland (Birkir Bjarnason)
A second for Iceland! France again undone by a cross and Bjarnason applies the headed finish for his second goal of the tournament.
ANOTHER CHANGE – Payet leaving the field with Kingsley Coman on for the last ten minutes. Not a bad man to have coming off the bench.
YELLOW CARD – Umtiti has been booked for a late challenge.
SUBSTITUTION – Koscielny is making way with Eliaquim Mangala of Manchester City taking his place.
GOAL! France 5-1 Iceland (Olivier Giroud)
Okay, maybe I jumped the gun a little. France restore their four-goal cushion as Giroud latches onto Payet’s free-kick to score his second of the night.
That’s his last action of the night as he’s replaced by Andre-Pierre Gignac.
https://vine.co/v/5aaV1ejMeVU
GOAL! France 4-1 Iceland (Kolbeinn Sigthorsson)
The comeback is on! Sigurdsson whips the ball in for Sigthorsson and the Nantes striker pokes past Lloris.
4-4, anyone…?
https://vine.co/v/5aaEpVtjdEL
More of the same from France. Payet blasts over before Pogba sends a long range effort off-target.
We’re just about ready for the second half. Iceland are making two changes with Bodvarsson and Arnason off for Alfred Fingbogason and Sverrir Ingason.
Expect to see Deschamps take off a few stars soon to rest them for the semis too.
It could be double that scoreline by full-time if Iceland don’t get their act together.
Half-time: France 4-0 Iceland
GOAL! France 4-0 Iceland (Antoine Griezmann)
Oh dear. France have bagged a fourth. Giroud allows a through-ball to run and Griezmann is in one-on-one. You wouldn’t bet against the Athletico Madrid man, and he coolly dinks the ball over the head of Halldórsson.
GOAL! France 3-0 Iceland (Dimitri Payet)
There’s three, and just before half-time. Giroud heads down a cross and Griezmann tees up Payet. He takes a touch before find the bottom corner with a left-footed drive.
Sigurdsson curls in a free-kick from deep and it misses the crowd of bodies in the box before catching Lloris off targets. He needs two attempts but eventually collects.
More possession for France in the opposing half. The move ends with Payet clipping the ball back to the edge of the box for Matuidi to volley wide.
THAT WASN’T FAR AWAY – From one of Iceland’s trademark long throw-ins, the ball is nodded on and Jo Bodvarsson volleys just over.
GOAL! France 2-0 Iceland (Paul Pogba)
That was quick, they’ve doubled their advantage. Griezmann takes the corner and Pogba rises about Bodvarsson to head home.
Not a word you always associate with Giroud, but that was clinical.
GOAL! France 1-0 Iceland (Olivier Giroud)
Les Bleus are ahead. Matuidi picks out the run of Giroud over the top and the Arsenal striker finishes cleanly through the goalkeeper’s legs.
Iceland captain Aron Gunnarsson brings Payet down and the Cardiff City midfielder is lucky to avoid an early yellow card.
France play some neat football on the edge of Iceland’s box with Griezmann, Sissoko and Pogba involved. Payet then has a pop from 20 yards but it doesn’t trouble goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson.
France earn an early free-kick but Paul Pogba is pulling in the box when the ball comes in and he concedes the foul.
And the first shot of the game has just gone to Iceland – Gylfi Sigurdsson drilling the ball straight at Hugo Lloris.
KICK-OFF – Here we go. Yes, they are rain drops on the camera…
French fans will well-outnumber their Icelandic counterparts, but as both nations’ flags are blue, white and red, everyone is matching…
England supporters buy tickets for the quarter-finals feeling confident that they’ll get past Iceland. After watching their team go out, the fans decide to travel to Paris for the game anyway.
One problem, they don’t own Iceland jerseys…
The bookies will give you 7/1 for an Iceland win, while France are 2/5. Okay, who’s going through to face Germany in the semi-finals? Call it…
Poll Results:
It’s a huge night for French defender Samuel Umtiti. Called up as Raphael Varane, Jeremy Mathieu and Mamadou Sakho were all missing from the Euro 2016 squad, Adil Rami’s suspension sees the 22-year-old make his senior international debut here.
Barcelona also announced this week that they have signed Umtiti from Lyon. No pressure then…
Teams are here. Iceland have stuck with the same side that conquered England, while Didier Deschamps makes two changes. Defender Adil Rami and midfielder N’Golo Kante are both suspended so Samuel Umtiti and Moussa Sissoko come into the starting XI.
France: Lloris; Sagna, Koscielny, Umtiti, Evra; Matuidi, Pogba; Sissoko, Griezmann, Payet; Giroud.
Iceland: Halldorsson; Saevarsson, Amason, R Sigurdsson, Skulason; Gudmundsson, Gunnarsson, G Sigurdsson, B Bjarnason; Sigthorsson, Bodvarsson.
WHAT MIGHT HAVE been…
Having overcome Ireland in Lyon a week ago, France are aiming to book a place in the last-four of Euro 2016 tonight. The host nation will again be favourites as their opponents at the Stade de France are plucky Iceland.
They may be the smallest nation to ever reach a major tournament (with a population of just 329,000), but as England can vouch, Iceland should not to be underestimated. Already the fairytale story of the tournament, Lars Lagerback’s men are out for another scalp this evening.
Whatever happens, this should be an intriguing clash of styles. Kick-off is 8pm.
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