Iceland stayed perfect in their pursuit of a first-ever trip to the European Championship finals thanks to a 2-0 upset win over the Netherlands. Gylfi Sigurdsson was the hero, scoring a penalty in the first half and securing the points with a second-half strike from close range.
Iceland vs. Netherlands, Euro 2016 qualifying: Final score 2-0, Gylfi Sigurdsson’s brace leads Iceland to an upset victory
The Netherlands are suddenly fighting for their qualification lives after a shocking defeat against Iceland.
Maurizio Lagana
There were three exciting moments from the opening 10 minutes of the match, all involving goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen. The first two centered around the fact that he, and apparently his teammates, were not happy about the air pressure level in the match ball. The Dutch keeper kicked one out of play before having a short talk with the match referee a few minutes later. The referee apparently wasn’t moved and told Cillessen to play on.
In the 9th minute the Dutch fell behind, just as they did against Kazakhstan, after Stefan de Vrij brought down Birkir Bjarnason inside the penalty area. There was little argument from the Dutch players about the call, leaving Gylfi Sigurdsson to step up and fire a shot to the right lower corner to give Iceland a 1-0 lead.
Sigurdsson doubled Iceland’s lead just before the halftime break, taking advantage of a loose ball in the middle of the Dutch box. After a teammate couldn’t settle Emil Hallfredsson’s corner kick, a failed clearance attempt sent the ball bouncing to Sigurdsson who was lurking six yards from goal. The midfielder fired a rising shot past Cillessen to make it 2-0.
The loss is already the second of qualifying for Guus Hiddink and the Dutch, leaving them sitting third in Group A, six points back of both Iceland and the Czech Republic. While there are still plenty of matches to be played, the poor start for the Dutch will likely cause plenty of speculation and talk among the fan base and media.
Iceland: Halldorsson, R. Sigurdsson, Arnason, T. Bjarnason, Skulason (Saevarsson 46’), B. Bjarnason, G. Sigurdsson, Gunnarsson, Hallfredsson, Sigthorsson, Bodvarsson (Gislason 89’)
Goals: G. Sigurdsson (10’, 42’)
Netherlands: Cillessen, Van Der Wiel, de Vrij, Martins Indi, Blind, de Jong, Afellay (Fer 78’), Sneijder (Huntelaar 46’), Lens (Promes 68’), van Persie, Robben
Goals: None
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