Dimi nets again as France book semi-final spot

  • Hammers star Dimitri Payet scores his third goal of UEFA Euro 2016
  • Bagged France’s third in their 5-2 thrashing of Iceland
  • The quarter-final victory pits Payet’s side against Germany in Thursday’s last-four match
Dimitri Payet’s fabulous UEFA Euro 2016 campaign continued on Sunday as he scored in hosts France’s emphatic 5-2 quarter-final win over Iceland.
 
Bagging Les Bleus’ third two minutes before the half-time break, the Hammers star helped Didier Deschamps’ team book their place in the last four of the competition with the comfortable victory.
 
After Olivier Giroud and Paul Pogba had already got on the scoresheet for France, Payet slammed home a low left-footed drive from 20 yards following Antoine Greizmann’s clever lay-off.


 
And the Atletico Madrid forward made it four before the break just moments later, chipping the Icelandic goalkeeper to put the result well beyond any doubt.
 
Payet was instrumental throughout though, and set up France’s fifth – another Giroud header – with a superb curled free-kick after Iceland had pulled one back through Kolbeinn Sigthorsson.
 
Iceland grabbed their second seven minutes before the final whistle, as Birkir Bjarnason found the back of the net to have the final say in the goal-fest.
 
After strikes against Romania and Albania, the latest Payet special was the 29-year-old’s third of the competition, putting him just below teammate Greizmann – who has four – in the top scorers’ charts.
 
As the majority of the Hammers’ first team squad enjoy their pre-season tour to the USA, the tournament goes on for Payet, whose team next face Germany in the semi-finals.
 
The heavyweight clash between the world champions and the tournament hosts will be played in Marseille on Thursday with an 8pm kick-off UK time.