'Will talk about it for rest of our lives': Iceland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson on beating England at Euro 2016

Iceland’s co-coach Heimir Hallgrimsson toasted a potentially life-changing win for his team after the small nation stunned England at Euro 2016 on Monday. “If you want the best out of life you have to be ready when the opportunity comes. That is a fact and these boys were ready today and this opportunity that was put in our hand was huge, it can change their lives,” said Hallgrimsson, who combines his role as co-coach alongside Lars Lagerback with his job as a dentist. [caption id=“attachment_2859586” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Iceland supporters cheer during the Euro 2016 round of 16 soccer match against England. AP[/caption]   “This will probably be a day that we will talk about for the rest of our lives,” added Hallgrimsson. No one thought they stood a chance, but Iceland stuck to their guns and pulled off one of football’s biggest shocks. Ragnar Sigurdsson and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson claimed their place in sporting history with the goals that secured a 2-1 win on a hot, humid night in Nice for the smallest nation ever to play in a major tournament. “They thought this would be a walk in the park,” said Sigurdsson of England’s attitude. But Iceland, with a population of just 3,30,000, joyously claimed a quarter-final match against hosts France, just after Italy beat Spain 2-0 to set up a last eight clash with Germany. The exit from the European Championship finals left fans of England — population 53 million and with the world’s wealthiest football league — reeling with a similar sense of desperation as the loosing “Remain” camp of Britain’s ‘Brexit’ referendum. England’s players were stunned. Hodgson read out his resignation statement within minutes of the final whistle as Iceland’s players celebrated in joyous disbelief with their 3,500 fans in the stadium. Captain Aron Gunnarsson, who plays for Cardiff in the English league, said Iceland had been turned “upside down” by the win. Iceland can now look forward to a fairytale quarter-final against hosts France at the Stade de France on Sunday.