Iceland’s ascent to the brink of qualifying for their first major tournament has been increasingly on the cards, co-manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said yesterday as an expectant country anticipates achieving that goal on Sunday.
One victory from their last three Group A qualifiers will ensure a place at the 2016 European Championships in France for the Nordic nation.
“Some might think we have been a little naive but always it has always been our target and aim to qualify Iceland,” Hallgrimsson said following Thursday’s 1-0 win over the Netherlands.
“In the past, maybe it would have seemed strange to think we could come and beat a strong football power like Holland.
“But going so close in the play-offs against Croatia gave the players the belief we can achieve it,” he added, referring to Iceland reaching the 2014 World Cup qualification play-offs, where Croatia defeated them 2-0 on aggregate over two legs.
“We could smell going to Brazil. It gave everyone belief that has never been there before.”
Iceland’s victory in Amsterdam completed a double over the Netherlands and kept Iceland two points ahead of the Czech Republic at the top of the standings.
A win at home on Sunday against Kazakhstan, who have lost six of their seven qualifiers, will take Iceland to 21 points and confirm a top-two finish and a trip to France next year.
“Let’s hope we can do it. We are not there that yet but in a very good position in the group,” Hallgrimsson said.
Iceland must still play second-bottom Latvia at home in October and will complete the campaign away to Turkey.
Iceland’s newspapers on Friday encouraged supporters to begin booking their trips to next year’s finals.
In Amsterdam on Thursday, 3,000 travelling fans, about one per cent of the north Atlantic island nation’s population, were roaring their players to victory.
Netherlands
Midfielder Wesley Sneijder says the Netherlands cannot afford any more mistakes if they are to keep alive slim hopes of reaching Euro 2016.
The 2014 World Cup semi-finalists look all but out of contention for direct qualification after a 1-0 defeat to Group A leaders Iceland in Amsterdam, where Bruno Martins Indi was sent off in the first half.
Manager Danny Blind replaced Guus Hiddink last month after a poor start to the Euro 2016 campaign. He takes a squad missing injured Arjen Robben to Turkey on Sunday sitting in third place, six points behind the Czech Republic and another two off top spot.
Defeat at the Konya Torku Arena would let the Turks leapfrog the Dutch and, with only two matches left, almost certainly signal an end to a disappointing qualification effort.
Sneijder, who plays in Turkey with Galatasaray, says only victory will be good enough.
“We are now further away from the European Championship in France, that is clear, and it is something we have created ourselves. We must now stop Turkey taking the first step towards the play-offs but it will be a hard match,” he told De Telegraaf.
“The risks created by the kind of mistakes we made against Iceland will be much greater in Konya. The players and fans will do everything to make our lives difficult. We have to be a lot, lot sharper than we were on Thursday.”
Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk could receive his first senior cap to deputise for Indi, while Sunderland winger Jermaine Lens has been called up to replace Robben.
Turkey drew 1-1 against Latvia and remain in the hunt for third place.
Coach Fatih Terim said: “The atmosphere for the Holland game will be something else.
“It is our last chance. If we win, we will have the advantage in the race for third place. If we draw, we will have hope for the last two games.”
Germany
World Cup winners Germany are brimming with confidence ahead of Monday’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Scotland in Glasgow that could see them book their ticket for next year’s tournament after beating Poland 3-1 on Friday to take control of Group D.
A win against Scotland, combined with a defeat for Ireland against Georgia, would see the Germans open up a seven-point gap to the third-placed team with two matches remaining and secure a top-two finish and ticket to France next year, a completely different situation from only a few days ago. The top two teams from each group automatically qualify, with some teams who finish third going into play-offs.
“The Scots lost to Georgia and so at home, if they want to have a chance of qualifying, they must invest a bit more in attack,” Germany manager Joachim Loew said. “So we don’t expect to have such a defensive opponent as with Poland.”
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