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I was really hoping that this unlikely scenario would play out, but it seemed a bit too much to ask for.
Tiny Iceland, with a population roughly comparable to that of greater Newark, New Jersey, has been hitting far harder than it's weight in this Euro tournament. I remember how amazing it was for Iceland to even qualify. But then, they started to play quite well, and managed to even qualify for the second round, against all odds.
Still, they now would have to face England, and the English are one of the traditional bullies in this sport, particularly within Europe. They might not be on the level of Germany or Italy, but they are perhaps one tier down, at most. This is one of the powerhouse countries in the sport, with a World Cup title back in 1966 that makes them one of only eight nations in the world to have won this most prestigious title, and one of only five European countries to have done so.
Plus, they always make a lot of noise in these kinds of tournaments. Always, they seem to be one of the countries to watch.
That was the case again this year, although surely, England's tournament this year will surely be overshadowed by the unlikely success of their cousin nations, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In large part, that's because England managed only to make it past the first round, but got knocked out in the second round in what surely has to be one of the biggest upsets in Euro history, if not in the history of this sport!
Iceland is a tiny nation, with a small population. They certainly cannot draw the kind of big name talent as the much bigger nations in Europe or South America, and they also surely cannot usually generate the level of talent that those bigger countries have. That is why the same few teams - Germany, Italy, Spain, for example - always seem to be the big players in such tournament, and why they win so frequently. Germany has won four World Cup titles, and three Euro titles. Italy also has four World Cup titles, and one Euro championship. Spain has one World Cup title, and three Euro titles, including the most recent two.
Iceland cannot possibly hope to compete with all of that.
Yet, for one day, they did.
More than that, they beat England, and some are already saying this is the greatest upset in soccer history.
Now, I cannot fully speak of that, but I was very happy to hear the results of this particular match. Maybe it had something to do with karma. Who knows?
Live England v Iceland Euro 2016 reaction: Roy Hodgson resigns as manager after humiliating exit to Iceland by JJ Bull, 28 JUNE 2016:
Five greatest upsets in soccer history by Elliot Almond,
First Brexit, Now This: Iceland Bounces England From Euro 2016 Tourney by Bill Chappell of NPR, June 27, 2016:
POPULATION OF LEICESTER, NO STANDING ARMY - 10 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ICELAND AND ENGLAND Kris Voakes, June 27, 2016:
To my mind this is actually a contender for greatest upset in the history of sports. I doubt that even the most optimistic Icelanders saw this coming, particularly after Rooney scored that penalty less than five minutes in to give England the lead. At that point I honestly thought "It looks like Iceland's Cinderella story is coming to an end – they could be in for a long, sobering evening." Regardless of how they fare in their quarterfinal at the Stade de France against Les Bleus, they've already done themselves extremely proud. Look for at least one or two Icelandic players to be signed to clubs in prestigious European leagues (England, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, France, the Netherlands...) within the next month or so. Though I'm still rooting for Les Bleus to go all the way, the prospect of them beating Iceland is admittedly bittersweet to me, and hardly a given. The French players would be foolish to take victory for granted against these guys (just ask the Netherlands, Portugal or, most of all, England), though I don't think that will be an issue in light of what just happened. Plus Didier Deschamps wouldn't put up with it. Should be a highly entertaining game; may the best team win!
ReplyDeleteYes, I feel the same way. Mixed emotions about the upcoming game. I obviously would like to see France win, but a part of me is rooting for Iceland, knowing that this is likely to be the only tournament where they enjoy this level of success, so let them extend it as far as they can. I agree that overconfidence is not likely to be an issue for Les Bleus, because the England result will likely wake everyone up to what Iceland is capable of.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I don't think they'll be qualifying for the quarterfinal round of a major tournament again anytime soon, it will be interesting to see if they qualify for the 2018 World Cup, and/or the 2020 Euro. Their FIFA ranking (FIFA is soccer's governing body, as you probably know) is likely to go up considerably after this tournament, which might help them avoid a "Group of Death" for the latter's qualifying round. As for World Cup qualifying (which, in Europe, begins shortly after the Euro), they're in a relatively easy group with Croatia, Ukraine, Turkey, Finland and Kosovo, so who knows?
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