Martin Tyler's Euro 2016 diary: France will be annoyed despite 5-2 win over Iceland

By Martin Tyler, Football Commentator & Columnist

Martin Tyler is commentating for UEFA at Euro 2016 - but he's sharing his experiences with us here on skysports.com. Today he reflects on France's thumping 5-2 win over Iceland - but says there are still concerns for the host nation.

I've just watched France score five goals against Iceland and yet I'm leaving the Stade de France unsure about their chances of winning the tournament.

They looked terrific in the first half when they scored four, having not previously scored a first-half goal at Euro 2016, but I think Didier Deschamps will be a little annoyed after conceding twice after the break.

I'm sure he'd have been demanding a clean sheet at half-time and Germany's scouts will have taken notes on their defensive problems. I though Bacary Sagna played well, but Patrice Evra has not had the best tournament and they are missing the presence of Raphael Varane and Jeremy Mathieu at the back.

Going forward they remain exciting. Antoine Griezmann scored the 100th goal of the tournament and his first for France at the Stade de France tonight; Olivier Giroud is on a good goalscoring run; and West Ham seem to have polished Dimitri Payet up for France rather than tiring him out!

Advertisement

But I still can't call who will win this tournament. France must now play Germany in a highly-emotional heavyweight match in the heat of Marseille on Thursday and the winner will have 24 hours less to travel and prepare for the final next Sunday. Wales or Portugal could have a significant advantage, especially if the second semi-final goes to extra-time.

Deschamps also has a difficult tactical decision to make. Against Iceland, he went with the 4-2-3-1 formation that was used in desperation in the second half against Republic of Ireland and brought the best out of Griezmann by playing him in the centre.

Also See:

But can he risk such an open system against a team like Germany - especially with N'Golo Kante looking to come back into the team?

Finally, great credit must go to Iceland. One of the newspapers over here suggested that France were going to achieve revenge for the Queen of England for embarrassing her nation in the last round, which bemused me rather.

Instead of damage limitation after conceding four in the first half they went and won the second half here. They also caused France problems with those long throws that England struggled with.

Perhaps they got caught out in the first-half against a quick France team after playing the same team for five matches in a row, but they have created some great memories (and some marvellous photographs with their fans).

The Premier League can be very proud of Gyfil Sigurdsson who has been at the forefront of the success, while Kolbeinn Sigthorsson and Birkir Bjarnason scored their second goals of the tournament tonight. I'll also never forget the throw-ins of Aron Gunnarsson and the way he led the chanting before and after the match.

People might argue that such a small country will never be able to repeat this run, but they have a good system in Iceland with coaching from a very early age and good indoor facilities. This team has set an example for generations to come.

So if I was to be asked if Iceland will ever again reach the last eight of a major tournament, I would suggest you shouldn't write it off. They have won the hearts of everybody here in France.

Image: Ragnar Sigurdsson (C, obscured) of Iceland celebrates scoring his team's first goal

They made the absolute most of their abilities and have shown the value of the team ethic, which has been a feature of this tournament. I was asked today who the player of the tournament is and there's nobody that leaps out. We should applaud the team instead.

Overall, the quarter-finals have been the highlight of the tournament and the open nature of knock-out football has been evident in at least two of the games.

This time next week Euro 2016 will be over… and I still can't tell you who's going to win it!

Outbrain