Paris (AFP)
France are qualified for the Euro-2020 thanks to the draw in Istanbul Thursday between Iceland and Turkey (0-0), also qualified but to whom the Blues can delight the head of Group H if successful in the evening (8:45 pm) against Moldova.
The champions of the French world, vice-champions of Europe in 2016, will certainly finish first of their group if they beat the Moldavians Thursday in Saint-Denis then Albania Sunday in Tirana.
This would be the ideal scenario for the draw of the Euro (June 12 to July 12, 2020) scheduled for November 30 in Bucharest: the first place can indeed allow its holder to be in a better hat, and therefore of to be donated to a group that is, in principle, more affordable.
The men of Didier Deschamps will therefore conduct a 13th international competition in a row (without interruption since their absence at the World Cup-1994).
With 19 points against 16 Icelanders, 3rd, the Blues can indeed no longer be exceeded by this team, dominated in direct confrontations (wins 4-0 and 1-0).
In Istanbul on Thursday, the Turks did not seek anything other than qualification, only to resist the Nordic assault until the end of the meeting. But the Icelanders have never pierced the defensive curtain and are eliminated. The quarter-finalists of Euro-2016, however, keep a chance to clinch their ticket via the checkpoints of the League of Nations scheduled for March.
© 2019 AFP