THE PEOPLE OF Iceland have really been getting behind their team at the Euros…
Iceland is the smallest nation ever to feature at a European Championships – and fans were justifiably thrilled to see their team become part of the tournament (as, indeed, we were back in ’88).
From current politicians to former members of the Sugarcubes, the excitement in the tiny Nordic country has been palpable on social media…
Along came Ronaldo
No surprise then that some pretty harsh criticism from one of the global superstars of football in the wake of their 1-1 draw with Portugal last night hasn’t gone down too well…
It’s not just Icelanders, in fact, heaping opprobrium on Cristiano Ronaldo today after the star slammed his opponents for “parking the bus” in front of their goal.
The forward’s parting shots are difficult to categorise as anything other than sour grapes…
The Real Madrid star had ten of Portugal’s 24 shots on goal last night, but stormed off after the final whistle, clearly frustrated by his own failure.
Iceland, meanwhile, scored by converting one of only four chances.
“It was difficult over the 90 minutes, because they scored one goal and that was after they had put every player behind the ball,” he fumed afterwards.
“They put the bus in the net. Iceland didn’t try nothing, they just defend, defend, defend. It was a lucky night for them.
We’re frustrated, they didn’t try and play. It’s why I think they will do nothing here. In my opinion, it’s a small mentality.
That “small mentality” remark in particular appears to have struck a nerve.
Iceland is one of the smallest nations going, with an adult population of just over a quarter of a million people (around three Croke Parks-worth). It’s been ruled by both Norway and Denmark in the last thousand years, and is still reeling from one of the biggest financial crashes in the history of the planet.
By contrast, there are some ten million people in Portugal. And while the country’s hardly a world superpower these days, it once presided over a huge empire encompassing Brazil and swathes of Africa and Asia. Around 200 million people still speak Portuguese today.
‘Bad loser’
Did any of that occur to Ronaldo before he opened his mouth last night?
Frankly, it’s unlikely anyone will ask.
“It just makes it sweeter that he is a bad loser,” Iceland midfielder Kari Arnason responded in the wake of their historic result.
We are a small island in the Atlantic Ocean and we got a draw against them.
A glance at reaction from this respected magazine in Reykjavik (below) – one of two main English language news sources in the country – is a pretty good indication of the national mood among our friends to the north right now…
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