Mateta off mark but France held by Iceland in World Cup qualifying
Jean-Philippe Mateta netted his debut goal for France yet the national team ended up drawing 2-2 against Iceland during a 2026 World Cup qualifying match on Monday.
As 2018 World Cup champions and 2022 finalists, France had the opportunity to secure their spot in the upcoming North American tournament with a victory in Reykjavik, provided Ukraine did not overcome Azerbaijan simultaneously.
Ultimately, Ukraine secured a 2-1 triumph over Azerbaijan, whereas Didier Deschamps team conceded points for the initial time in four Group D qualifying fixtures.
Victor Palsson put Iceland in front by half-time, though Christopher Nkunku levelled the score for France, and Crystal Palace forward Mateta put them ahead during the second halfs midpoint.
Still, Kristian Hlynsson swiftly equalised, preserving Icelands qualification aspirations.
France hold a three-point lead atop the group with two matches left next month, and a home victory over second-place Ukraine in Paris would confirm first position.
We feel somewhat disappointed. We aimed for the win and sought a third goal towards the finish. Overall, we could have performed better, Mateta shared with TF1 broadcaster.
Scoring as a forward is always significant, particularly for me on my initial France start.
Iceland, facing Azerbaijan next, trail Ukraine by three points and retain chances of securing second place for play-off entry.
Mbappe absent
France lacked several vital players, including Kylian Mbappe, who sat out following an injury from the 3-0 home victory against Azerbaijan last Friday.
Ballon dOr recipient Ousmane Dembele was unavailable too, alongside Paris Saint-Germain colleagues Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola, with Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni sidelined by suspension.
Mateta thus earned his first senior international start after substituting in his debut versus Azerbaijan, joined in attack by Lens Florian Thauvin and AC Milan Nkunku.
Nkunku was thwarted from close range within the opening two minutes, but Iceland took the lead six minutes shy of the break as Palsson nudged the ball in at the near post after the away defence mishandled a free-kick.
Nkunku wasted another prime opportunity by firing over shortly past the hour, yet he equalised soon after by drifting in from the left and drilling a precise low effort into the distant corner.
This marked his first France goal in a full year, and the away side led on 68 minutes when Maghnes Akliouche delivered a tempting cross that Mateta converted at the far post.
However, Iceland levelled almost immediately from kick-off as Albert Gudmundsson set free Hlynsson, unmarked to advance and slot home.
We dominated the match completely. Iceland managed two on-target efforts and netted twice, Deschamps remarked to TFI.
Nevertheless, we gained another point, and next month proves crucial.