Holding the French-esportapiPost-PandaTV

(Football result) - Iceland maintains their faint hope of reaching the 2026 World Cup following a stalemate with France.

The match kicked off at a fast pace. In the 2nd minute, Christopher Nkunku (France) had a chance from a corner kick, but the Icelandic goalkeeper made a save.

At the 39th minute, Iceland unexpectedly scored the opening goal. After a rebound inside the penalty area, Victor Palsson (Iceland) quickly shot low to the left corner of the goal, putting the home team ahead 1-0.

Starting the second half, both teams made personnel changes. In the 63rd minute, France managed to equalize. Christopher Nkunku (France) made an impressive solo run and fired a precise shot into the lower right corner, leveling the score 1-1.

Just 5 minutes later, France took the lead. In the 68th minute, Maghnes Akliouche delivered a good pass into the penalty area for Jean-Philippe Mateta (France) who easily finished from close range, increasing the score to 2-1.

However, Iceland did not give up. In the 70th minute, from a sharp attack, Albert Gudmundsson provided an excellent assist for substitute player Kristian Hlynsson (Iceland) who scored a brilliant shot into the top corner, bringing the match back to level 2-2.

This was also the final result of the match. With 1 point gained, France remains top of Group D in the 2026 World Cup European qualifiers with 10 points from 4 matches, 3 points ahead of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Iceland still holds hope, being only 3 points behind the second place.