120-minute break… What did the French stars do during the break in the Iraq match? | sports

The simple football follower knows that the duration of the break between the two halves does not exceed 15 minutes, during which the players from both teams take time to catch their breath, receive directions from the coaches if there is a change in the method of play, and so on.

But what happened in the match between France and Iraq in the second round of the Group Nine competitions for the 2026 World Cup finals was close to 8 times that period due to the weather and thunderstorms that struck the city of Philadelphia between halftime, which put the players of both teams before an unprecedented mental and physical challenge for most of them, if not all of them.

The match between France and Iraq was stopped

After the end of the first half, the players of both teams found themselves forced to stay in the locker rooms for a long period, reaching two hours, before the match was resumed again in the second half, in a match that lasted 3 hours and 48 minutes, according to what the French newspaper “L’Equipe” reported.

She explained that the French national team players lived this “unprecedented” experience in many different ways, and they hope it will not be repeated in the future.

Didier Deschamps, coach of the French national team, said in a tone that combined seriousness and joking that his team played cards during that period, noting that at the same time coordination was made with Australian coach Graham Arnold, coach of Iraq, to ​​ensure sufficient time for warming up and to ensure that water was drained from the field.

He added, “You cannot prepare for such circumstances; there are alerts and we are here waiting, and then the appointment is postponed from a quarter of an hour to 20 minutes and then half an hour. These are exceptional circumstances.”

Deschamps continued, “I understand that, as long as there are risks, you should not take risks. It is the longest match and the longest break between two halves that I have witnessed as a coach. I hope that will not happen again to me.”

What did the French players do during the break?

As for the players, time was passing very slowly amidst uncertainty about when the match would resume. At first, they tried to keep their muscles warm by doing stretching exercises, and to keep themselves physically active by using bicycles.

When the stoppage time lasted more than 30 minutes, the players were forced to relax without the French network explaining the details of this, while they engaged in some side discussions.

French midfielder Magnes Acliouche said, “It is true that these were special circumstances. There was a long waiting period in the dressing rooms, which is a completely new thing for us. Despite this, we tried to adapt as much as possible, and it was important to maintain mental alertness.”

After the match resumed, the French players succeeded in settling the result in their favor after Kylian Mbappe returned and scored the second goal in the 54th minute, before his teammate Ousmane Dembélé added the third and final goal in the 66th minute.

After the match, Mbappe said, “It was a very long evening. It was difficult, both emotionally and mentally. Staying for an hour and a half or two in the locker room while maintaining focus is very difficult and requires a lot.”

The French team leads the ninth group standings with 6 points, with a goal difference only from Norway, which is in second place, while Senegal and Iraq are in third and fourth places, respectively, with a score of 0 points.