Iceland 0-1 France: 5 talking points from the game | UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifiers

Reigning world champions France travelled to the Laugardalsvollur Stadium in Reykjavik to face Iceland in a must-win UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifier. Didier Deschamps’ side was second in Group H, level on points with group leaders Turkey. Both side had won five of their six games and were tied on 15 points. However, Turkey was leading the group due to a better head to head record against France. Deschamps' men needed to win to game, while hoping that Turkey failed against Albania in the other tie.

France was coming into the game high on confidence after two back-to-back wins against Andorra and Albania. Iceland, however, are no pushovers and were vying for the top 2 places themselves. An injury to midfielder Aron Gunnarson did jeopardise Erik Hamren’s plans in the build-up to the game. France had injury concerns of their own too as Hugo Lloris, Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe were all ruled out. Deschamps was expecting N’Golo Kante to return to the starting line-up but the Chelsea midfielder picked up an injury in the warm-up. Nevertheless, the French manager still managed to put up a pretty competitive first eleven for the game.

France's Starting XI: Steve Mandanda; Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Clement Lenglet, Lucas Digne; Moussa Sissoko, Corentin Tolisso, Blaise Matuidi, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Kingsley Coman.

The visitors had control for the majority of the first half, while Iceland threatened to score on a couple of occasions. The first half ended 0-0, with both sides coming close to scoring on occasions. France picked up the pace in the second half and took the lead through Olivier Giroud’s penalty in the 66th minute. Even though the home side tried to equalise, France managed to hold on to the slender lead and took homw the three vital points. Here are five key talking points from the game.

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#5 Iceland frustrate France by defending deep

Erik Hamren set his team up to defend deep.

Erik Hamren had a clear cut plan for the game. He set Iceland up to frustrate France by defending deep and staying compact at the back. The home side switched to a rigid 4-4-2 whenever the visitors got the ball and denied the opposition too much room to operate in the midfield.

They shut out the flanks and frustrated France for the majority of the first half. At one point in time, it even looked like they would come away with a point. However, they were undone by the penalty decision from Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi.

#4 France dominate despite key absences

Paul Pogba missed the game due to injury.

France was already without Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe and their skipper Hugo Lloris prior to the game. N’Golo Kante, who was set to start, picked up an injury during the pre-game warm-up. France was also missing Aymeric Laporte in defense, which meant that Didier Deschamps’ side was without of their key players for the game. However, the visitors coped well with their absence and did not just win the game, but dominated the play.

The visitors ended with 71% possession, having registered 696 passes with 86% accuracy. They had 22 shots, six of which were on target. France dictated the tempo of the game and rarely looked threatened at the back. Even though they could not break the deadlock in the first half, Deschamps’ wards were relaxed yet determined, which helped them seal the win. France had a strong end to the game and could have scored the second when Blaise Matuidi hit the frame of the goal.

#3 Squad depth makes France one of the favourites for Euro 2020

Kingsley Coman impressed on the night.

Despite missing five of their first-team players, France became the first team to come away from Iceland with all three points since June 2013, when Slovenia won 4-2 in a World Cup qualification match. It was a brilliant display of Didier Deschamps’ squad depth, which certainly makes France one of the favorites for the tournament.

France was lacklustre in the opening stages of the game. This was expected with a new-look midfield sans Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante. Kylian Mbappe was a huge miss up front too but Kingsley Coman gave a glimpse of a plan B for Deschamps, as the Bayern Munich man was a constant threat.

Clement Lenglet covered well for the stricken Aymeric Laporte at the back, while Steve Mandanda made a couple of fine saves between the sticks to ensure the win. When Deschamps has all his players available for selection, it could be a tough task to stop this France side.

#2 Antoine Griezmann inspires France to the win

Antoine Griezmann inspired France to all three points.

After his high profile transfer to Barcelona in the summer, Antoine Griezmann has endured a tough start to life at the Camp Nou. The Frenchman has struggled to find his feet and has lacked the consistency made him so successful at Atletico Madrid.

The international break provided Griezmann a chance to regain his form with his national side and the Barcelona man took it with both hands.

In a French team lacking quite a few first-team players, it was up to Griezmann to stand up and be counted. The former Atletico Madrid player had a stellar outing, registering seven shots in the game, two of which were on target. He also provided three key passes in the game and attempted three dribbles with a 67% success rate.

He pressed very well when the team lost possession and recorded five tackles with a success rate of 80%. However, his biggest contribution to the game was winning the penalty in the 64th minute.

Griezmann collided with Ari Skulason in the box and went down, leaving Italian referee Gianluca Rocchi with no choice but to point to the spot.

#1 France set up a huge game on Monday against Turkey

Didier Deschamps will want his side to finish top of the Group.

Even before the start of the game, France was second in Group H, behind Turkey on account of an inferior head-to-head record. An away win against Iceland was the need of the hour, which is why Didier Deschamps looked a little nervy as France struggled to break the home side in the first half.

Turkey was playing Albania in the other game of the group that was also 0-0 at the break. France had a chance to go clear at the top of the group after they took the lead in the 66th minute. However, there was an interesting twist.

Turkey took the lead against Albania in the 90th minute, through Cenk Tosun and went on to win the game. This means that France is still second in the group, but they do have an opportunity to change that come Monday.

Didier Deschamps’ side host Turkey at the Stade de France on October 14th. If France wins that, they will top the group and their qualification will be more or less secure. The World Cup holders will also be looking to avenge their 2-0 at the hands of Turkey earlier in the qualifications. Expect fireworks on Monday night.