Gary Neville and his scouting party at the Iceland vs Austria game reportedly celebrated the prospect of drawing the Scandinavians in the round of 16, avoiding Portugal in the bargain. However, it was the tiny Nordic-nation that had the last laugh.
The level of arrogance from the English towards minnows Iceland through the course of their shock round of 16 defeat in the Euros on Monday has been testified by a reporter at the Iceland vs Austria game, who claimed that a Gary Neville-led English contingent were celebrating the prospect of drawing the Scandinavians after their surprise victory over the Austrians.
According to a report on the Guardian podcast, the former Manchester United defender burst out laughing after the Scandinavians booked a date with his side at Nice. A country with, as Gary Lineker quoted, “more volcanoes than professional footballers”, effected probably the biggest upset in the footballing history of England – a nation known to have invented the sport.
Along with head-coach Roy Hodgson, Neville, too, quit his job with the national side following the embarrassing defeat. Listen to that and more from James Richardson’s Guardian podcast below.
