WCQ: France holds Iceland to 2-2 draw in World Cup Qualifier
A thrilling sequence of goals in the second half, spanning just seven minutes, led to a 2-2 draw between Iceland and France in their FIFA World Cup qualifier. The result extended France's unbeaten streak to 17 matches against Iceland.
Iceland's persistence paid off when they were awarded a free-kick, which ultimately led to the opening goal...
France and Iceland played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in their FIFA World Cup qualifying match. The draw maintained France's unbeaten record against Iceland in their head-to-head encounters.
Jean-Philippe Mateta scored his first international goal for France, but it wasn't enough to secure a win. Despite the draw, France's attacking woes continued, with Kylian Mbappe joining the injury list and Christopher Nkunku missing a chance early on, firing straight at Iceland's goalkeeper Elias Rafn Olafsson.
Despite the hosts holding their own, France continued to create scoring opportunities, albeit half-chances. Jules Koundé's deflected shot from distance was safely gathered by Icelandic goalkeeper Ólafsson.
Lucas Digne's audacious free-kick forced Ólafsson into a diving save, while Jean-Philippe Mateta had a chance to score after Michael Olise's cutback, but scuffed his shot wide.
The hosts had a close call when Iceland's goalkeeper Olafsson failed to hold onto Michael Olise's free-kick, but fortunately for them, the ball sailed wide. France's Lucas Digne also had a chance to score from the resulting corner, but his effort was blocked.
Iceland's persistence paid off when they were awarded a free-kick, which ultimately led to the opening goal. Victor Pálsson poked the ball over the line at the second attempt after Albert Guðmundsson's initial delivery wasn't cleared, sending the Laugardalsvöllur crowd into rapturous celebrations in the 39th minute.
Iceland's hopes got a boost when France's attacks were repelled before halftime, despite being down to 10 men in terms of attacking prowess wasn't the issue, Sævar Atli Magnússon going off injured. Ólafsson made a crucial save on Olise's header, and Mikael Egill Ellertsson blocked Mateta's follow-up shot.
Around the hour mark, deliveries from Lucas Digne and Michael Olise caused Iceland's defense to scramble. However, Florian Thauvin's acrobatic effort sailed wide, and Christopher Nkunku missed a far more promising chance, leaving France's attack looking wasteful.
Christopher Nkunku quickly made up for his earlier miss by scoring a beautiful goal. He jinked inside Victor Pálsson and curled his shot into the far corner, giving France the lead.
Just five minutes later, France doubled their lead when Maghnes Akliouche set up Jean-Philippe Mateta, who marked his first international start with a goal. However, Iceland refused to give up and responded immediately with a well-taken goal from Kristian Hlynsson, keeping the score at 2-1 in favor of France.
France's perfect record in the World Cup qualifiers came to an end, but they still top Group D with a three-point lead. This follows Ukraine's win over Azerbaijan, which impacted the standings.
Despite France's setback, Iceland earned a valuable point from their last three matches. Coach Arnar Gunnlaugsson might find solace in the fact that this point keeps Iceland within three points of second place, leaving their qualification hopes alive.
The 2026 World Cup Qualifier between Iceland and France ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw.
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