The Icelandic team in women’s football secured their place in the 2013 European Championship in Women’s Football in Sweden after a 3-2 win against Ukraine in the play-offs at Laugardalsvöllur stadium in Reykjavík last night. A new record in spectators to a women’s game was set: 6,647.
A football game at Laugardalsvöllur in Reykjavík. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
“This is an unbelievably good feeling,” Iceland coach Sigurður Ragnar Eyjólfsson told Fréttablaðið. “We are yielding the results of two years of work and it’s great that so many could take part in it.” Iceland also competed in the European Championship in 2009.
Margrét Lára Viðarsdóttir scored the first goal of yesterday’s game in the eighth minute. Four minutes later Katrín Ómarsdóttir scored. Ukraine equalized with goals by Vira Dyatel in the 36th minute and Daryna Apanachenko in the 72nd, uefa.com reports.
With 14 minutes to go, substitute Dagný Brynjarsdóttir secured qualification after just three minutes on the pitch.
Iceland’s win comes on the back of the 3-2 victory against Ukraine in Sevastopol on Saturday.
Iceland will now join Russia, Germany, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and hosts Sweden in the finals next year.
The draw will take place on November 9. The teams will be split into three groups of four. The top three teams will proceed to the knockout phase, uefa.com reports.
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