Iceland 2, England 1. Mother of all victories

IT was said that Iceland’s famous victory over England at last year’s European championships would be remembered for generations to come.

And with good reason. It now seems those generations may have been swelled by the country’s celebrations.

A doctor at Landspitali University Hospital, in the capital Reykjavik, has suggested that nine months on from Iceland’s 2-1 victory over England the country is experiencing a mini-population boom. Asgeir Petur Thorvaldsson tweeted that his maternity ward had administered unprecedented levels of epidural pain relief over the weekend – coinciding with the nine-month anniversary of the national team’s triumph.

Barcelona experienced a similar phenomenon in February 2010, nine months after a glorious late goal by Andres Iniesta sent Barça through to the 2009 Champions League final. Some hospitals in the city registered an increase in up to 50 per cent of births.

Iceland’s debut in a major tournament debut was a singular success, tak- ing them all the way to the quarter-finals before losing to the hosts and eventual runners-up France.

But arguably their greatest moment was beating England in the first knockout round to the backdrop of their fans’ “Thunderclap” celebration.

During the celebration the claps and chants from fans become increasingly quicker, culminating in one final clap, accompanied by a bellow of “huh!”.

This not only struck fear into the hearts of the team’s opponents, but it now appears to have set the scene for a rather more lasting legacy.