Iceland EuroDumps England, and It Wasn't an Upset
Now, Iceland is 3-0 against the English.
And that's just in the post-Viking years.
- Dudes stared down British warships in the 1970s' Cod War and won.
- They told the British banks -- and others -- to FOAD during the 2008 crash; and now,
- They've dumped England out of Euro 2016.
What else could be expected of a nation that's built on volcanoes and still speaks a version of Old Norse?
Iceland may have a limited talent pool, but every once in a while, enough elites can be assembled to make noise on the international stage. Denmark (5.6million) had its day in the 1980s, for example.
However, no one's ever seen a nation of 330,000 citizens do what Strákarnir okkar -- Our Boys -- have been doing recently. Remember, they didn't just qualify for the festivities in France; Iceland won their group in Euro 2016's preliminaries by going 6-2-2.
Not a bad year.
Only a Disney film could portray Icelanders as villains, but that's because there are fewer locals to offend.
But in Paris last night, dudes were heroes to everyone but Poms and punters playing the chalk.
England got the jump early, but little did they know, that was going to be their high-water mark:
Only two minutes later, Iceland began to set the tone.
Somehow, Roy Hodgson's crew was totally unprepared for a two-striker attack. The backs were confused virtually all game, typified by being in total disarray when a patented Iceland long toss put Ragnar Sigurdsson on the ball:
English 'keeper Joe Hart didn't exactly distinguish himself in the loss to Wales, but Hodgson stuck with him in this one.
He was probably re-thinking that in the 18th minute:
Kolbeinn Sigþórsson just became one of the hottest properties in Iceland.
His polar opposite: England's current ex-manager Roy Hodgson.
Again, anyone who's been paying attention knows this result was not an upset.
Face it. England's been a stale brand for a long time now. They're figuring that out on a number of levels.
Meanwhile, it's on to the quarters for the little nation that could.
If Iceland prevails against France in Paris, that will be news. And they've spent a year proving they're capable of making it.