For any athlete to mentally prepare for a match is one thing; to do it twice with an uncertain restart time is another matter entirely.

France vs Iraq was halted on the stroke of halftime with conditions rapidly deteriorating. Storm warnings had been issued before kickoff, and an initial shower passed without incident. But approaching the end of the first 45, rain started pouring down, and winds intensified dramatically.

The stadium announcer swiftly confirmed the match had been suspended. "Please exit the open seating area and seek shelter in covered areas of the stadium as directed by staff," he declared, prompting boos from the crowd.

Initial communication suggested the delay would add just 15 minutes beyond the standard halftime break. And precisely when conditions appeared to improve, they took a turn for the worse.

The rainfall itself had minimal impact on the stoppage. In the United States, safety protocols mandate that if lightning strikes within 10 miles (16KM) of a venue, the sporting event in question must be halted for 30 minutes. Consequently, players remain secure within their locker rooms.

The interruption lasted nearly two hours exactly. While hydration breaks have been criticized by certain players for disrupting rhythm, this represented something completely different.

Psychologically, the players must adapt, physically they must maintain readiness, and they must prevent their stamina from fading.

Iraq's Aimar Sher spoke to Mirror U.S. Sports in the mixed zone following the contest to provide some perspective.

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"Of course, it's not fun," he said on the delay and the unknown restart time. "Every five minutes, new information came that the game was going to be delayed. Then we were going to go out at this time, then it changes, changes, changes.

"At the end of the day, it's the same for both teams. It's not ideal, but it's not my decision when the game is going to be played."

One element supporters might overlook is how the athletes manage their fuel intake. Extensive preparation typically centers around the scheduled kickoff time.

Managing nutrition becomes challenging as players must avoid overeating, yet failing to consume enough can lead to declining energy levels.

"It's different for different people, but I think we did quite good," said Sher. "First 10, 15 minutes you just relax, but then you have to keep the energy up, you need to eat, you need to keep the body warm.

"It was a different position I don't think any of us have been in before, but I think we dealt with it quite good."

Iraq headed into halftime trailing 1-0 but ultimately fell 3-0, due largely to a Kylian Mbappe masterclass. Despite the defeat, Sher expressed satisfaction with his squad's performance.

"To be honest, I am proud," he said with conviction. "We are playing against the best national team in the world, best players in the world. We knew it was going to be difficult but I think we stood up in quite a good way.

"Overall it was OK, but in this kind of game against these kinds of opponents, if you make a small mistake, they will punish you. We made some mistakes and they punish you.

"But now our mind is just to look forward. We have a game against Senegal in four days, so we are really looking forward to it. Now it's all about getting ourselves ready."

Source: Alloutsoccer.com