Doesn’t excuse the Thunder Clap though.
Perhaps as remarkable as their dogged, determined and some other adjective beginning with d, er, defiant, yeah, defiant point against the heavily favoured Messi-led Argentinians is the fact that a remarkable 99.6% of their population watching TV back at home were tuned in to Sigurdsson, Bjarnason and everyone’s new favourite goalkeeper, Hannes Þór Halldórsson.
It was the result of the tournament. Until Mexico beat the reigning champions Germany 1-0 a day later, it was the result of the tournament.
The official Iceland FA account, which you might know better as Knattspyrnusambandið, confirmed the incredible fact today, still basking in the warm glow of their team’s performance.
But it does beg the question, what on earth were the other 0.4% of Iceland doing?
Get out of the geothermal spas lads, at least whilst your team are going toe to toe with Lionel Messi. Show some damn respect for your brave boys in Errea shirts.
99,6% of all people in Iceland watching TV during #ARGISL at @FIFAWorldCup were watching the match. That is some statistic. #fyririsland https://t.co/w8WNGpDoi9
— Knattspyrnusambandið (@footballiceland) June 18, 2018
As it turns out, according to goalscorer Alfred Finnbogason, the other 0.4% were on the pitch.
Obviously, obviously he is joking, but also he is very, very wrong. Let’s do some quick maths just to check.
The other 0,4% was on the pitch! pic.twitter.com/FNtzRKTlrp
— Alfreð Finnbogason (@A_Finnbogason) June 18, 2018
Iceland’s population is 350,710. If you work it out, that would mean there were only 1,402 people not watching the game.
If Iceland did, as Finnbogason states, field a team of 1,402 players then that would definitely go some way to explaining the result.
(At this point I will again make it clear I realise he was joking and with another sensational depiction of just how tiny a nation Iceland actually is, and just how incredible it is they are doing what they are doing)
Three men marking Messi. Or 0.0009% of Iceland's population.
— Matthew Stanger (@MatthewStanger) June 16, 2018
