Belgium and Iceland played to a 1-1 draw in the opening match of Group D, which was shaded by penalties and a small stadium.
Hinn Hirvonen,
Jaakko Palvaila
– We were all ready to hit the refresh button on the browser as soon as Uefa put the tickets on sale. We wanted to secure a seat in the stands.
This is how an Icelandic football supporter described getting tickets for his national team’s matches in the women’s European Championships. There are simply too few tickets available for the futs-mad people.
Iceland’s “home” stadium for the group stage, Manchester’s Academy Stadium, is clearly the smallest of the arenas at these games. The stadium is part of Manchester City’s academy centre.
The stadium can accommodate 7,000 spectators, but since Uefa does not allow standing spectators and delimits certain spaces for its own purposes, the maximum possible audience for these games is 4,700 spectators.
– I am disappointed with the stadiums we were given. It’s shocking that we play in England, where there are a lot of big stadiums, and we get to play in a training ground with 5,000 spectators. This is embarrassing and does not show us the respect we deserve, Iceland’s star player Sara Björk Gunnarsdottir talk under the games (you will switch to another service) for ESPN.
– They have not prepared for the fact that we will be able to sell more than 4,000 tickets. It’s disrespectful to women’s football.
The players of Helmariten have also wondered about the match conditions in Iceland. Finland gets to play its matches in Milton Keynes at a stadium that attracts 30,000 spectators.
– It’s really sad to hear that more of the group would have liked to come and watch, but it hasn’t been possible. That’s something you can’t understand in such a big tournament, Olga Ahtinen stated about the stadium situation.
– On the other hand, from a positive point of view, there is clearly demand. That’s what we want. It tells how far our game has gone, he thinks San Francisco.
“The only answer is to fill this stadium”
Almost all Iceland supporters signed the players’ views below the match.
– We would have deserved a bigger stadium just out of respect for women’s football. The only answer is to fill this stadium and we Icelanders are good at that, even though our nation is small, supporters told Urheilu.
– Unfortunately, many did not go to England when they did not get tickets.
Opposing opinions were also found.
– The stadium is just the right size. We have maybe 6,000 fans here, 1,000 in Belgium. Old Trafford would be far too big for these teams to meet, Iceland supporter It was stated.
In the stories of Iceland’s supporters, there was repeated satisfaction that the desired tickets for the team’s opening match had been taken.
– We were lucky, we got the tickets in November. It was difficult to get them, we had to be online and ready, one supporter described the process of getting a ticket.
Icelandic supporter culture has risen to the consciousness of European football fans by storm. A significant part of the country’s 366,000 citizens have traveled this time to cheer on their own.
– We live for this. Football is our life. We are together, we watch football together and play football together, the supporter who went to England with his family described the basis of football madness before the match.
The turning points of the match are penalty kicks
The match itself ended in a 1-1 draw in Manchester in front of 3,800 spectators. The match was supposed to be sold out a long time ago, but there were still tickets available for the game in the morning. However, at the point of sale in front of the stadium, it was said that the game was sold out.
Iceland had great chances to take the lead in the first half when they were awarded a penalty after a handball by Belgium. Belgian goalkeeper Nicky Evrard guessed though by Berglind Thorvaldsdóttir shot correctly and glued the ball to his gloves.
Thorvaldsdóttir got a second chance in the latter period from the aftermath of a corner kick. Now the ball went through Evrard’s hands to the goal posts and Iceland took the lead 1-0.
Belgium equalized a quarter of an hour later from a penalty kick. Jody Vangheluwe was brought down in the penalty area and Justine Vanhaevermaet pressed the ball irresistibly into the Icelandic net.
Both teams still had their positions in the final moments of the match, but neither managed to score. The final result of the match was one point for both teams.
The European Championship continues on Sunday evening with the meeting between France and Italy. The match is broadcast on TV2 and Areena. You can find everything about the competition on the EC competition page here.