The Euro 2016 tournament has been incredible. The most incredible part of the tournament was the unimaginable success of Iceland (actually spelled Island- that’s why there’s no ice) who defied all expectations and made it to the quarter finals of the tournament.
Their shouting of “Hu! Hu! Hu!” will be remembered forever.
Iceland is not what you would have called a “serious contender”, and they performed spectacularly in the group stages and managed to make it to the elimination rounds. When they were paired up against England, all hope seemed lost. But a recently Brexited England performed poorly and the upset of the year occurred when this tiny nation emerged as the victor. England was so embarrassed and upset that they rudely stormed off the field immediately without congratulating Iceland.
But then came France. And in the quarter final against France, with the game taking place in Paris, Iceland had no chance and were brutally defeated 5-1. They returned home to a massive crowd of fans who all were thrilled with the incredible performance of the Iceland team.
They led the people in the traditional cheer of the Icelandic sports teams, and no person seemed ashamed or upset that Iceland lost their game this weekend. The cheer, which is dubbed the “Viking War Chant”, is a slow clap above the head that gets faster and faster, as the energy rises and the people get a lot more excited. It was the chant that spread Iceland Fever during this Euro Cup, and that is what will live on after Iceland went home.
In fact, the were thrilled because such a small nation was able to make such a large impact on the European community, and hopefully this will usher in a new age for Iceland’s role in European football.
Iceland is a nation of only 330,000 people, so for them to compete against nations of millions is incredible in and of itself.
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