‘We’ve outsmarted and outperformed our opponents’
Before the tournament I said Iceland was divided between those who thought the moon is a cheese and those who knew that winter is coming: fans were mildly hopeful it wouldn’t be a disgrace, while also realising that bad things could happen. Now that the team has exceeded our wildest expectations, we are in a state of euphoria. My 78-year-old father, Aki Jonsson, was among the spectators who watched Iceland knock England out in Nice on Monday night. I think it was one of the most profound experiences in his life.
The one thing that I keep thinking about is the English reaction to the defeat. Prior to the game the coach and the team could not emphasise enough how Iceland was a tough opponent and how much they were mapping the strengths and weaknesses of the Iceland team. Nobody would underestimate Iceland. But at the final whistle the English players were lying on the grass struck with a lightning of disbelief and surprise. There was a sentiment of being humiliated and it was quickly described as the worst performance ever.
Funnily enough, this is exactly what the Dutch said, both times, when we beat them in qualifying, what Portugal thought after our 1-1 draw, and what Austria thought after our stoppage-time winner against them in the group stage. What has been completely overlooked, and not really understood, is they were all thoroughly outplayed and beaten by a team that knew how to do it. We’ve got the better of our opponents by taking advantage of their underestimation of us.
I also find it liberating to see that football is much more complex than just the technical side of things. Iceland have confirmed that it’s very much a team sport. With the right attitude and fighting spirit you can nullify the advantage of individual technical skills. To beat England is an incredible achievement for Iceland, everybody knows that, but not everybody understands that it didn’t come from just being lucky that day. I dare to say it’s one of the most impressive achievements in football history. Ever. Jon Gunnar Akason
‘This adventure is capturing the whole nation’
The mood before Euro 2016 was hopeful, naive and fearless. And fearlessly is exactly how the team has performed so far. The application of the players has been tremendous. What is so fantastic about this adventure is the way it is capturing the whole nation. It’s turning into a nationwide romance – everyone is falling in love with the game. My girlfriend has never shown any interest in football before but is now totally enthralled. And every game is followed by massive parties in the midnight sun. I’m trying hard to get some tickets for the game against France but, of course, it is proving impossible.
While it’s hard to single out individual, our centre-backs have been fantastic. They’ve been involved in key moments at both ends of the pitch. Kari Arnason and Ragnar Sigurdsson have been rocks at the back, but have chipped in with goals and assists too. The team’s discipline has also been important. The lack of suspensions has resulted in a settled starting XI throughout the tournament.
The connection to the fans is special. The team play with big hearts, accept their limitations and know their weaknesses. There are no stars and there’s very little flare. The beauty lies in the way the players work together as a unit. England may have looked abject in the second round, but Iceland had a plan and executed that plan to the letter.
We also have to thank Motherwell fans for bringing the “Icelandic thunder clap” to our shores after playing Stjarnan in the 2014 Europa League. The players caught on to it and started doing it back. It’s just another example of the closeness between Iceland fans and the national team. Alex Alexandersson
‘I would have been happy with any kind of scrappy goal’
The media coverage has focused too much on Iceland’s small population, and I’ve found it a bit tiresome. It infers that the success of this squad is statistical anomaly, rather than the rewards of 10 years of hard work by a group of individuals. I saw them play at Easter Road 5 years ago during the U21 Euro qualifiers and they were brilliant. They dominated the game. Their success at the Euros has surprised me, but not because they have played well, but because the opposition has been below what I expected.
As this was our first major tournament, I thought we’d probably finish bottom of Group F. We had already made history by being in France this summer. Before the first group game I would have been happy with any kind of scrappy goal and possibly a point. To have knocked out both Austria and England and preparing to face the hosts in a quarter-final is slightly surreal.
Despite having such low expectations ahead of the tournament, there was always a remote chance we’d have something to cheer about this summer. We did after all come second in a qualifying group that included Czech Republic and Holland. I was worried we would be parking the bus and playing long-ball football to progress past the group stage. While defensive organisation has been a huge part of our success so far, we’ve also scored goals in each of our four games and shown positivity going forward on the counterattack.
Gylfi Sigurdsson has shown his class and composure, Aron Gunnarsson has been an inspirational forceful leader and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson’s work rate up front has been exceptional. To come from behind against both Portugal and England shows a real strength of character. I was hopeful that we would be able to give anyone a game, but to get to the quarter-finals in our first international tournament is really something else. I’m bursting with pride. Eggert Stefansson
