Monday 4 July 2016

They Finished 5th: ICELAND

Could this tiny northern nation have given us the most influential football fan invention since the Mexican Wave of 1986? Their aggressive chant/clap will be a lasting memory of this tournament. Loud. Awesome. Frightening, even. It’s something we can expect to see adopted by club sides around the world this coming season, such is its impact.

But let’s not overlook the contribution made by this nation on the field. Punching above their weight is a phrase that could have been made for them. The power of the part-timers. A film director goalkeeper. The dental assistant manager. Stories that made this Euro2016 run so enduring, along with the passion and emotion of the Icelandic commentator as he saw his team first overcome Austria with the last kick of the game to qualify from their group, then their deserved and fairly easy victory over an England in tatters.


Iceland might not be getting their name on the trophy at the end of this, but their name will live long in the hearts and minds of everyone who enjoyed Euro2016.

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