CITY » he field and the Viking slow capping ritual, with its Huh c

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. The College Football Playoff has abandoned a plan to play most of its semifinals on New Years Eves after television ratings tumbled last year, moving the dates of future games to ensure they will be played either on a weekend or a holiday.The changes will start with the 2018 season. The TV ratings for last years semifinal games played on Thursday, Dec. 31, dropped 36 percent from the semifinals played the season before on New Years Day.This seasons semifinals are still set for Saturday, Dec. 31. Next seasons playoff is scheduled to be back on Jan. 1. In 2018, the games initially scheduled to be played on New Years Eve, will now be played Saturday, Dec. 29.The 2019 games will move to Saturday, Dec. 28.The other seasons affected by the change are 2024, when the semifinals will be moved to Saturday, Dec. 28, and 2025, when the games will be played on Saturday, Dec. 27.We had a healthy discussion with a lot of people who love college football and we concluded that making these changes would be the right thing to do for our fans, College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock said in a statement.In a phone interview with the AP, Hancock said after looking at data provided by ESPN that considered all the factors that contributed to the drop in ratings, such as the lopsided scores and participating teams, it was clear the single greatest factor was when the games were played.Hancock said several options for altering the schedule were discussed, including giving the College Football Playoff a permanent home on New Years Day, but that didnt get far.It was clear from the get go that our group wanted to honor the traditions of the game, including the Rose Bowl, including the Sugar Bowl getting back to New Years Day, which they really cherish, Hancock said. That one didnt stay on the table for long.Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany, whose conference is partners with the Rose Bowl along with the Pac-12, said earlier this week the Rose Bowl would not be giving up its traditional New Years Day afternoon time slot. The Big 12 and Southeastern Conference now have a similar partnership with the Sugar Bowl and have locked up the time slot after the Rose Bowl.Hancock said it was important to keep the semifinals iin what he called the holiday period between Christmas and New Years Day because it best allows fans to travel to the games.ddddddddddddESPNs Burke Magnus, executive vice president, programming and scheduling, said the network, which is paying about $470 million annually for the media rights to College Football Playoff, was pleased with the decision.They did engage in a really thoughtful analysis of what could make the CFP more fan friendly and ultimately they got to the right place, which were happy about, Magnus said.Magnus said ESPN was not directly involved in the decision nor did it exert any pressure on the CFP to change its schedule. He said there was also no pressure from advertisers.No, it never went anywhere near that kind of conversation, Magnus said in a phone interview. There was never any ultimatums issued.The first College Football Playoff set ratings records for ESPN on New Years Day 2015. The semifinal between Oregon and Florida State was played at the Rose Bowl and Alabama and Ohio State played at Sugar Bowl, with the Rose kicking off at about 5:20 p.m. ET.The semifinals moved to New Years Eve last season for the first of eight initially scheduled times throughout the 12-year contract the CFP has with ESPN.College football officials said they were going to start a new tradition on New Years Eve and that people would incorporate watching big games into their party plans. The initial returns showed that was not happening. Not only did the games have to compete with parties at night, but much of the country was still working when the Orange Bowl between Clemson and Oklahoma kicked off around 4:30 ET. That was 3:30 local time in Oklahoma.We tried to do something special with New Years Eve, even when it fell on a weekday, Hancock said. But after studying this to see if it worked, we think we can do better. These adjustments will allow more people to experience the games they enjoy so much. For these four years, our previous call is reversed.---Online: http://www.collegefootballplayoff.com/pr...leases---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP ' ' '