France concluded their international break with a gritty win over Iceland despite being a player down for the last 20 minutes. The win left Didier Deschamps’s side top of group D with six points from two games, three clear of Iceland.
Deschamps made two changes from their 2-0 win over Ukraine, Theo Hernandez and Marcus Thuram came in to replace Lucas Digne and Desire Doue. Despite Iceland taking an early lead via Andri Lucas Gudjohnsen, who took advantage of a Michael Olise mistake in the 21st minute.
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe stepped up and equalized from the spot to level the score at the break.
The French captain turned creator for France’s winning goal just past the hour mark. The 26-year-old laid it off to Bradley Barcola for an easy tap in after a splendid ball over the top from club teammate, Aurelien Tchouameni. The midfielder was sent off for a reckless challenge just few minutes later, leaving France to defend the final 20 minutes with 10 men. Iceland had the ball in the back of the net towards the end, only to be ruled out by VAR.
Mbappe led from the front, scoring the equalizer and assisting the winning goal for France. The French captain looked very lively once again, dropping in the half-spaces and linking up. The Real Madrid star made some dangerous runs with the ball and attacked Iceland’s backline, his positioning and runs stretched their rigid 5-3-2 block and were key in France’s second goal.
Mbappe scored in both games this window and was involved in three of France’s four goals across these two games.
Tchouameni was splendid once again, on and off the ball. However his game will be overshadowed by a poor challenge that saw him receive the red card. His game up until that point was flawless. The French midfielder showcased some insane distribution, creating two chances with well timed and finessed balls in the box.
His distribution over range was phenomenal, completing seven of his eight attempted long balls. One of those long balls was the pre-assist for France’s second goal. The 25-year-old has taken the next step in terms of his distribution, consistently breaking lines, showcasing urgency and execution to match with it. His long range passing ability has allowed France to unlock deep blocks in one swift move.
The players will now return to their respective clubs with UEFA Champions League is on the horizon as club season paddles on.
