The Malta Independent 14 August 2026, Friday
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France Struggle to beat Iceland 3-2 in Euro warmup

Malta Independent Tuesday, 29 May 2012, 00:00 Last update: about 15 years ago

Franck Ribery scored his first international goal for more than three years and Adil Rami grabbed a late winner as France rallied to beat Iceland 3-2 at home on Sunday night in a European Championship warmup match.

Coach Laurent Blanc picked an experimental and attacking lineup, featuring several fringe players. The move soon backfired as Iceland went 2-0 up at halftime thanks to goals from Birkir Bjarnason and Ajax striker Kolbeinn Sigthorsson.

“You have to analyse both halves. We were a bit timid in the first half and made a lot of mistakes,” Blanc said. “It was hard to find a balance between attack and defence.”

Right back Mathieu Debuchy pulled one back early in the second half but France struggled until Ribery and striker Olivier Giroud came off the bench.

Giroud set up Ribery’s 85th-minute goal with an exquisite chip over the defence, and then showed great composure a minute later to head a cross down to Rami, who blasted the ball home.

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