Written by Sam Borden at New York Times.com
For the last three weeks, Iceland’s men’s soccer team played with will and whimsy and wonder, the tiniest among the minnows at this European Championships stunning the soccer world as it wrote a fairy tale that kept getting better. But then, on Sunday, France needed little more than 20 minutes to suddenly, and sharply, scrawl down the harshest of endings.
The more lyrically inclined may posit that the torrential rain at the Stade de France washed away Iceland’s magic dust. (Or, perhaps, that the Nordic gods were crying.) Yet that would be silly: In reality, it was the French juggernaut, a whirlwind of talent, that did the damage as Iceland finally — finally — ran out of dreams.
The domination was total, the obliteration complete.
France passed better and shot better, crossed better and tackled better, all of which added up to a comprehensive blowout, 5-2. In truth, it probably could have been more.
Olivier Giroud scored twice before the hour. Paul Pogba blasted a header. Dimitri Payet whipped a blistering shot into the corner. Antoine Griezmann assisted on two goals and provided a cheeky chip over the goalkeeper to score one of his own.
France, seeking to win a major tournament as host for the third consecutive time, will face Germany on Thursday in Marseille for a place in the final.
Iceland goes home. Memories of the first major tournament for the island of just 330,000 will be mostly warm and inspiring: the first goal and first point at the Euros in a 1-1 draw with Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal; the last-minute goal against Austria, which sealed a second-place group-stage finish and a date with England in the knockout rounds; and, of course, the fightback against the English as an early 1-0 deficit turned into a 2-1 late-night showstopper.
Through it all, the crowds in Reykjavik screamed and shouted in the main square. The fans in the stadiums clapped and chanted, always well past the final whistle.
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