Persistence draws the Iceland Women’s National Team level with Sweden.
Fourteen places separate the Iceland Women’s National Team from Sweden in the FIFA world rankings, but Iceland never backed down for one second in their Euro qualifier match on Tuesday. Never count Iceland out of a soccer match, ever.
They have fiery grit that can stifle even the best of teams. Their Viking spirit aside, the Iceland Women’s National Team has talent.
Led by Lyon midfielder and Champions League winner, Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir, the Icelandic squad is ripe with skilled players, many of whom are young and have a long and promising career ahead of them. Nineteen-year-old Sveindís Jónsdóttir, who scored twice in her national team debut against Latvia on Thursday and assisted Iceland’s goal against Sweden with her long-range throw-in, is a prime example of the young talent Iceland possesses.
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Despite Sweden taking the early lead in the 33rd minute with a goal from Anna Anvegård, it never felt like the game was over. The Iceland Women’s National Team fought, even bled, and refused to let Sweden feel in control. They weren’t just relentless in their defending, but continued to send crosses in, win free-kicks, and knock on the door of Sweden’s goal (don’t get me wrong though, Sweden was dangerous themselves on numerous occasions).
A great throw-in and a brief lapse in concentration on the part of Sweden’s defense led to an Elín Metta Jensen header goal in the 61st minute, and an Icelandic side that felt they had a fighting chance at upsetting the 5th best team in the world. I’ve played against Jensen many times in my career and have first-hand proof that she has an unbelievable knack for being in the right place at the right time to score goals.
The game ended in a disappointing tie for Sweden and the cherry on top of a successful week for Iceland. The Iceland Women’s National Team is fierce, sometimes recklessly so. But more often than not, the tenacity with which they play is just downright inspiring.
The women from the land of fire and ice will face Sweden again in a month in what I imagine will be another exciting clash between the Scandinavian sides.