Didier Deham, Getty Images October 14 2025, 09:20

French head coach Didier Deham commented on the difficult draw of his team with Iceland in the World Cup match, which ended with a score of 2: 2.

“If you look at the repetition of the first goal of Iceland, there was clearly a foul on a horse. It is obvious,” Deham said in a footmercato comment. However, he stressed that he did not intend to blame the arbitrator: “The judge did not see it, and I will not throw it to him, although sometimes the arbitrators can” sleep “during matches. But this is not a reason to justify our result.”

The mentor noted that his team controlled the game well, created moments, but unfortunately, this was not enough to win.

“I am particularly annoyed as we missed the second goal – we are wrong on the field, too high, which indicates relaxation. Such mistakes should not happen to us, and they prevent the winning,” Deham said.

He also emphasized that the Icelandic national team showed high levels, deserves respect and well prepared physically.

“We also had moments, but we couldn’t implement them. Iceland is a very good team that does not give a lot of space,” the coach added.

Deham stressed that the team has new players who need time to adapt, because it is difficult to replace experienced players at once.

“This draw is not a disaster, we have to extract lessons and prepare for the next matches. The next month will be decisive for our national team,” Didier Deham summarized.

After this match, the French team retains leadership in its group, Ukraine is behind three points.