France assess limited physical toll after four-hour win over Iraq | OneFootball

France emerged from their weather-hit 3-0 win over Iraq in Philadelphia more tired than usual, yet the physical toll looks limited. According to L'Équipe, the four-hour contest on Monday night into Tuesday should not leave lasting marks.

Such a duration, including a half-time of two hours 12 minutes, offered no precedent. Raphaël Fèvre, a former PSG fitness coach, was not worried, saying recovery should not be heavily affected. He added that heavy rain can complicate things muscularly, though only a few minutes were played in those conditions.

The trickiest part was the long, shifting pause and its uncertainty. Alexandre Dellal, Haiti’s fitness coach, said repeated warm-ups must be managed to avoid excessive load, comparing the cumulative effect to extra time. He also pointed to notable nervous fatigue brought on by not knowing when play would resume.

Manu Koné and Jules Koundé called the wait interminable. Didier Deschamps joked about playing cards, then noted they mainly waited as restart windows kept moving. He did not alter the plan, and the squad returned swiftly to Boston, landing at 00:30 local, 06:30 in France.

Adjustments were kept light, with Tuesday’s training pushed back one hour from 15:30 to 16:30. After using two substitutions against Senegal on 16 June, Deschamps made five in Philadelphia to share the workload.

The early lead also allowed France to manage their effort. They will remain at their Boston base to prepare for Norway on Friday in Foxborough, around one hour from their hotel.

Source: L'Équipe