Iceland’s run as EURO 2016 sweethearts came to an abrupt halt on Sunday, as host nation France completed a 5-2 drubbing in the quarterfinals.
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A pair of goals from Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud paced the French, with the 29-year-old kicking off the rout in the 12th minute. Paul Pogba quickly doubled the advantage nine minutes later, after meeting an Antoine Griezmann corner kick and powerfully heading home.
The French put the daggers into Iceland on the stroke of halftime, when Dimitri Payet and Griezmann scored in the 42nd and 45th minutes, respectively. Griezmann who registered three assists on the afternoon, found his very own tally just before the break, chipping goalkeeper Hannes Halldórsson on a breakaway.
Despite gaining a lifeline in the 56th minute through Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, France quickly re-upped the advantage to 5-1, as Giroud bagged his brace just three minutes later.
Even though Iceland found the net for the game’s final finish in the 84th minute, France had the last laugh and will now move on to meet Germany in the semifinals.
For full highlights, check out the video below.
[embed]https://streamable.com/gn63[/embed]