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SAINT-DENIS, France -- The Icelandic thunderclap roar proved no match for the sheer talent of France as the hosts finally showed their title credentials at the European Championship on Sunday.A crushing 5-2 victory lined up a semifinal with Germany as France displayed the attacking ruthlessness that had been missing in its previous four games at the tournament.We have a lot of desire to get our own back for what happened at the World Cup, France striker Olivier Giroud said of the quarterfinal loss to eventual champion Germany two years ago.Was it only six weeks ago Giroud was being jeered by his own supporters?When Giroud cupped his ears to the crowd after scoring his second goal on Sunday, the striker seemed to revel in silencing his critics.And yet only national unity is on the mind of Giroud as France prepares for its first tournament semifinal in a decade on Thursday.I am delighted for the players as they deserve this, and for these fans who have been behind us for months, the Arsenal striker said magnanimously through a translator. To be able to offer them something to make them smile and feel happy.And yet Iceland left the Stade de France far from browbeaten.An embarrassing exit was on the cards at halftime when France led 4-0. But the Nordic newcomers recovered the resolve that has seen them charm and captivate the continent over the last month.Two second-half goals allowed the smallest nation to ever qualify for a major tournament to leave with their heads held high.We didnt handle it well mentally (in the first half), joint-coach Lars Lagerback said. But we showed in the second half it wasnt something physical in the team, we reloaded.The night began with rain descending on the field and the Viking slow capping ritual, with its Huh chant, booming around the stadium from the Iceland fans.France wasnt going to have its home stadium to itself and Gylfi Sigurdsson even had the games first shot although it was easily saved by France captain Hugo Lloris.But inspirational chants and a strong team ethic only take a team so far. This was a night of French superiority; when stature and skill of the hosts was too mighty to curb.The Iceland defense was breached with ease in the 12th minute when Blaise Matuidi lofted over a high pass into the path of the advancing Giroud, who clinically shot through the legs of goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson.Then, Paul Pogba soared above Jon Dadi Bodvarsson to meet Antoine Griezmanns corner and send a powerful header into the top corner in the 20th.Pogbas leap was matched almost immediately by one from French President Francois Hollande in the VIP seats.Worse was to come for the Icelanders with quick-fire goals inside two minutes before halftime.Moussa Sissokos cross was headed down by Giroud and Griezmann knocked the ball into the path to Dimitri Payet, who drilled a low shot in the corner of the net.The fourth goal saw Giroud and Griezmann combine again. Griezmann raced onto Girouds flick-on before dinking a shot over the advancing Halldorsson.Payet went over to kiss the left boot of Griezmann, the teams top scorer with four goals at Euro 2016.However, just like its raucous fans, Iceland wasnt done.Gylfi Sigurdsson whipped in a cross and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson slid past Samuel Umtiti, the Barcelona-bound defender making his France debut, to poke the ball over the line in the 56th.Would it be the start of an astonishing comeback? No.The four-goal cushion was restored by Giroud within three minutes, connecting with Payets free kick to glance a header into the net.I felt really good physically right from the start, Giroud said. We are used to making bad starts ... but we were very clinical, which is nice from a personal perspective.But Iceland had the final say on the night, with Birkir Bjarnason evading Patrice Evra to head Lloris.Iceland didnt give up at any stage, Giroud said. They were a very valiant and determined side who kept on going until the end.And its fans remained chanting in their seats long after the final whistle, taking in the surroundings.It was an unforgettable tournament debut by Iceland, drawing against Poland before eliminating England -- an achievement that will be remembered along with the feats of the new European champion, to be crowned back at the Stade de France next Sunday. Cheap Custom Islanders Jersey . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Authentic Custom Islanders Jersey . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. 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Williams, getting his fifth straight start for the injured Keita Bates-Diop, shot 7 for 13 from the field, hitting 3 of 6 from long range.Fairleigh Dickinson (2-5) trailed by just one point heading into halftime, and even had as much as a six-point lead in the first half. OSU opened the second half with an 18-2 run to stretch its advantage to 51-34 with 14:34 to go.Thompson started the second half instead of freshman center Micah Potter, which made an immediate impact. However, following that run, the Knights continued to chip into the lead without changing much of their game plan.In the final minutes, FDU cut the deficit to just six points before OSUs JaQuan Lyle iced the game with two free throws.Initially, defensively, we were good . but we didnt finish possessions, OSU coach Thad Matta said. Even some of the shots they missed were wide open. Thats just a sign of we werent as sharp as we needed to be.Darian Anderson led Fairleigh Dickinson with 17 points, and Kaleb Bishop added 12 to make it his second straight game with double figures. Knights coach Greg Herenda said that his team matched up better against OSU than it did against Army (4-4), their previous opponent.The Buckeyes were coming off a near-upset win at No. 6 Virginia on Wednesday that somehow didnt translate to the court on Saturday. Williams said that, for whatever reason, the team continues to play down to its opponents rather than remaining consistent.I feel like this team is at its best when were about to play a game and we play like our hairs on firee, he said.dddddddddddd. When we play these games, we dont have that sense of urgency.Both teams shot better in the second half, OSU at 53.6 percent and Fairleigh Dickinson at 41.7 percent. Despite Thompsons 13 rebounds and five blocked shots, the Knights still had 28 points in the paint and grabbed nine offensive rebounds to OSUs eight.We did just enough to have a chance to win and to do extraordinary things, you need to play extraordinary, Herenda said. Ohio State was just too big, too long and too good today.BIG PICTUREOhio State: The turnover bug continues to bite the Buckeyes, who turned the ball over seven times in the first 10 minutes of the game and 14 total. In OSUs last game, the team coughed up 20 turnovers to Virginia and allowed the Cavaliers to overcome a 12-point halftime deficit.JaQuan Lyle struggled for a second straight game with only seven points and five turnovers with five assists.Thompson said that Matta told the team that the Fairleigh Dickinson performance showed signs of regression.Fairleigh Dickinson: The Knights have had their struggles through seven games following last seasons conference tournament championship and NCAA tournament bid. However, at several points, Fairleigh Dickinson exposed the Buckeyes.These games help us so much down the road, Herenda said. Today it hurts and it stings, but as the season goes on, these games help us tremendously.UP NEXTThe Buckeyes host a midweek matchup against Florida Atlantic on Tuesday before welcoming the Connecticut Huskies to the Schottenstein Center on Dec. 10.Fairleigh Dickinson returns home on Wednesday to play the Iona Gaels before beginning a three-game road trip at Towson. ' ' '