Little goes a long way for Iceland

Neither the dark early autumn night or pitiless rainfall could prevent fans heading downtown to celebrate Iceland's success in reaching their first major national tournament, a dour 0-0 draw against Kazakhstan in UEFA EURO 2016 Group A soon forgotten.

The national basketball team is currently playing in a European final tournament, with the handball counterpart awaiting a similar competition, but for Iceland to make it to a major football competition is something else entirely.

With a population of 329,100, Iceland is the smallest nation to have qualified for a FIFA World Cup or UEFA European Championship by some distance. Size matters, but not necessarily in the way you would expect.

"I think that being such a small nation has helped us," co-coach Lars Lagerbäck said on Sunday night. "It is easier to control how things are done, and the nation is always behind you. We go into every game to win and are not nervous about meeting the big nations in the finals. We have beaten big sides in our last two qualifying campaigns and can continue to do so."

Lagerbäck had planned to step down at the end of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. The 67-year-old must now be glad that he decided to carry on for one more go.

The Swedish coach took charge of Iceland in October 2011, selecting Heimir Hallgrímsson as his assistant – and later promoting him to become an equal partner – and has embodied a great spirit of togetherness that has worked throughout Icelandic football.

However, if Iceland's success in their 12th EURO qualifying campaign came as a surprise to many, fans on the island had some warning that great things were possible. A good number of Lagerbäck and Hallgrímsson's squad were members of the Iceland team that made it to the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Denmark.

Lars Lagerbäck helped Iceland take the next step©UEFA.com

How the boys of summer 2011 made such a sensational step up into senior football is down to the good work of a good many people in Icelandic football.

U21 boss Eyjólfur Sverrisson, and his colleagues in the younger age-group sides, all made an impact, realising the plans laid down by the Football Association of Iceland (KSÍ) and the senior coaching staff. Continuity in style from age group to age group ensured that players rose through the ranks seamlessly.
 
Striker Eidur Gudjohnsen, still going strong at 36, said: "People forget that there are no boys in this team. These guys are 25 and 26 years old now, with a lot of experience and plenty of caps. Of course, we remember this generation as our little boys that went to the U21 finals, but they became men long ago."

Iceland's 2011 Under-21 finals squad©Action Images