Gunnarsdóttir's Icelandic pride

Iceland defender Gudrún Gunnarsdóttir is determined to help give fans in her homeland something to shout about as she and her teammates prepare to kick off the country's first appearance at a major football finals.

Swell of support
FC Barcelona's Eidur Gudjohnsen, arguably the greatest footballer the Nordic nation has ever produced, recently captured the mood of the country when he spoke of the pride he felt after Iceland qualified for UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™. Now, with Siggi Eyjólfsson's charges ready to open their Group B account against France, Gunnarsdóttir is aiming to ensure her countrymen and women have even more reason to celebrate.

First test
"It really seems like the whole nation is behind the team and that's a great feeling," the Djurgårdens IF FF centre-back said. "A lot of people want us to do well and we'll give our best. Obviously, there are a lot of good teams in our section, but we're just thinking about one game at a time. First up it's France, who we all know are a very strong side. But we have defeated them before and we can take confidence from that."

Belief key
Iceland captain Katrín Jónsdóttir, meanwhile, insists that any success her country hope to enjoy against France will have to be built upon unshakable defensive foundations. "France have some very good creative players and they will try to hurt us," she explained. "It's very important that we keep our discipline and stick with our system. Everyone knows their role in our team and, if we can keep a clean sheet, we believe that we can score goals against anyone. That's the most important thing."