Tiny Iceland biggest story of tournament
Qualify for knockout stage in their Championship debut; Brady the hero for Ireland
Iceland, the smallest nation at the European Championship, delivered the feel-good story of the tournament by beating Austria 2-1 on Wednesday to qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament.
The victory, secured by a goal deep into stoppage time by Arnor Ingvi Traustason, earned Iceland’s players the game they’d dreamed of: A last-16 match against England.
“I have always supported England in the big international tournaments, when we haven’t been playing,” Iceland defender Kari Arnason said. “It’s a dream come true.”
The tiny island nation of barely 330,000 people was expected to struggle in France. Instead, Iceland finished second in Group F on five points, unbeaten and above Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.
Iceland’s victory at the Stade de France wasn’t easy. It spent much of the game on the defensive after striker Jon Dadi Bodvarsson gave it the lead in the 18th minute.
Austria dominated much of the game thereafter and missed a great chance to equalize in the 37th when defender Aleksandar Dragovic struck the post with his penalty.
The equalizer finally arrived in the 60th through substitute Alessandro Schoepf. Over much of the final stages of the match, Austria was camped in the Iceland half, with Arnason standing out with two crucial blocks off goal-bound shots.
“It was like an Icelandic wall,” Austria coach Marcel Koller said. IRELAND 1, ITALY 0: A late goal from Robbie Brady proved enough for Ireland to beat Italy 1-0 on Wednesday and secure a place for his team in the knockout stages.
Brady’s 85th minute header ended Ireland’s 22-year wait for a competitive win over Italy and guaranteed that the team ended up as one of the best third-place teams.
Its reward — a round of 16 match against France in Lyon on Sunday.
It’s the first time Ireland has made it to the knockout stage of the European Championship, having failed to do so in its two previous appearances, in 1988 and 2012.
Italy, which already was assured of top spot in Group E after two straight group wins, will meet defending champion Spain next in what is potentially the most mouth-watering match of the round of 16. BELGIUM 1, SWEDEN 0: Zlatan Ibrahimovic has played his last game for Sweden, a 1-0 loss to Belgium on Wednesday.
The Swedes were eliminated from the competition while Belgium advanced to the round of16, where they will play Hungary on Sunday.
The Belgians finished second in Group E behind Italy. The Italians won the group despite losing to Ireland 1-0. The Irish also advanced as one of the best third-place teams.
In his 116th and last game for Sweden, Ibrahimovic forced a save from Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the 76th minute with a free kick and saw other shots go wide, including a volley in the 86th. PORTUGAL 3, HUNGARY 3: Cristiano Ronaldo erupted from his scoring slump by netting his first two goals, helping Portugal earn a 3-3 draw with Hungary and sending both teams into the round of 16.
Ronaldo scored in the 50th and 62nd minutes, the first with a spectacular back heel, making him the first player to score in four consecutive European Championships.
“We know he is a world-class player. He is a dangerous player, and you can’t always control him,” Hungary coach Bernd Storck said. “We didn’t give Portugal a lot of chances, but of course when Ronaldo has the ball he can score.”
Portugal ended up with three points in Group F from three draws, advancing as one of the top four third-place teams. Hungary won the group with five points.