Euro success will change footballers’ lives: Iceland co-coach
Paris, July 4 (IANS) Iceland co-coach Heimir Hallgrimsson believes his footballers are not yet aware of the fact of what they have achieved and said their lives will never be the same again.
Most thought Iceland had done exceedingly well in just qualifying for the quadrennial event but they pulled off a surprising draw with Portugal in the first game and then ousted England from the round of 16.
However, their dream run ended as hosts France beat them 5-2 in the quarter-finals here on Sunday.
“I think that will sink in a few days when they start to read the papers and see what has been written,” Hallgrimsson was quoted as saying by goal.com.
“You lose all the media thing when you’re in the tournament and you don’t see the TV, especially the Icelandic TV, so I think it will sink in really quickly after the tournament,” the co-coach added.
“It will change their lives, you wait and see.”
The co-coach further stated that the nation of around 3,30,000 people was proud of their achievement.
“Icelanders are really proud of this achievement and you can see that in the numbers, both the numbers that came here and also those who came together in Reykjavik and everywhere to watch the games.
“So I think it has brought the nation closer to each other and that’s fantastic when you are a part of something that does that.”
Hallgrimsson also believes the supporters and fans will forgive them for their 2-5 loss to France.
“Hopefully they’re not throwing eggs at us after this performance. I think the fans, how appreciative they are to the players, and what is also fantastic is that the players showed their appreciation to the fans,” he joked.
“It’s funny that we lost 5-2 and all the French fans had gone home yet still the Icelandic fans were there cheering the team on, and that’s fantastic.”