There have been euphoric scenes in Paris, after France sealed a place in the Euro 2016 semi-finals.
ADVERTISEMENT
There have been euphoric scenes in Paris, after France sealed a place in the Euro 2016 semi-finals.
It was a crushing defeat for underdogs Iceland – 5-2 – with their fairytale run coming to an end.
France now faces world champions Germany.
“The match was intense, it was really wonderful. We had more goals than we’d seen before. Honestly, I am so happy for France because we are in the semi-finals!” said one cheering France fan.
Another added: “It was a great match. I was really happy to be here. We saw the beautiful game – full of goals, it was really great.”
Despite their loss, Iceland fans tried to look on the positive side.
“Well, I think it’s just OK because no one really expected we get this far. And we kind of won the last part, so everyone feels good about it, it’s alright,” said 11-year-old fan Heba Leigh Sands.
Iceland overcame England to reach the quarter finals.
“I’m feeling crazy good. I’m so proud of the team,” said one fan in Reykjavic.
“They owned the game, even if we lost. It doesn’t matter. We are in the top 8, it doesn’t matter if we are number 5, 6, 7 or 8.”
Iceland – which has a population of 330,000 – is the smallest nation to have ever qualified for the European Championship.