Iceland and Egypt!

Day -248 WorldCup2018

Iceland, oh Iceland. What a story they were at the Euros in 2016. And now they have proved the cynic in many of us, including me, very wrong.

Iceland are off to the World Cup in Russia. Iceland. At the World Cup. It is even more beautiful than Leicester winning the Premier League. It is a wonderful, happy football story.

After their success at the Euros it crossed my mind that they wouldn't be able to repeat the feat. It was a one-off. They got a lucky run of results. Their opponents weren't quite sure how to deal with them but would soon figure them out. Hell, even Latvia once qualified for the Euros. And look at them since, last or second last in most of the qualifying rounds.

Iceland started this campaign with a 1-1 draw in Ukraine and I thought, ok, hard to tell yet if that was a good or bad result. In the 90th minute of their next match at home to Finland they were losing 2-1 and I was convinced that the bubble had truly burst. I was really following live updates of that match and remember wishing I was watching it when they scored two injury time goals to win 3-2. Maybe the momentum is still alive and well, and growing. They didn't blow away the opposition in their group. They lost away to Finland and Croatia. But they hung in there, they kept getting results and here they are, celebrating their achievement as the smallest country ever to reach the World Cup.

Their coach, Heimir Hallgrimsson, said he was worried about how the players were going to get themselves motivated again after the excitement at the Euros.

"The first beer after a party is not the best," he said. "The hardest thing was to get going again after our massive party in France."

The Latvians must still not be enjoying their beer after the summer of 2004, but Iceland must have loved the first, the second and many more after that.

The big match on paper today was the Wales-Republic of Ireland clash, which Ireland needed to win and Wales wanted to win. The commentators tried to cover up the pretty dire quality on offer by talking about intensity and nervous excitement and the such. The best part of it was the incredible signing of the Welsh Anthem by the home crowd. The second bit of action of note was the Irish goal in the second half, from when on it seemed pretty obvious that the Welsh would huff and puff, but not break down the Irish defence.

So the Republic make the playoffs behind group winners Serbia. I still feel more sorry for the Ryan Giggs inspired Welsh team of 1993 that was so close to qualifying for USA 1994.

Croatia also secured a playoff spot today. For all of Slovakia's celebrations after their win over Malta yesterday they will most likely be the worst second placed team amongst the nine and out of the playoffs, unless Greece don't beat Gibraltar.

The Iceland adventure is the feel good story of the day. However, for the best, most passionate, 95th minute celebration of a goal that sends your team to a World Cup, nothing can beat this from Egypt. Actually, back track a minute or so. For the best celebration after being awarded a penalty that could potentially send your country to the World Cup after an absence of 28 years, watch this. You will never see celebrations like this for a goal that hasn't been scored yet.

(Just be patient, or fast forward through the 20 replays of the first goal from every angle imaginable, to about minute 2.10)