Iceland captain Katrín Jónssdóttir was moved to tears as she came to terms with their qualification for UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™.

Qualification
Never before have an Iceland team earned a place in a major senior finals for men or women, though they did reach the last eight of this tournament in 1995 when it was a two-legged affair. But that all changed on Thursday in Reykjavik when a 3-0 defeat of the Republic of Ireland sealed a 4-1 aggregate play-off win and a berth in Finland next summer. "I am in tears, I do not know what to say," Jónssdóttir said. "I feel like I have been in football for a thousand years and this is a dream come true."

'Dream comes true'
In freezing conditions Dóra María Lárusdóttir put Iceland in front on 23 minutes and she also clinched victory in the second half following a header from Margrét Lára Vidarsdóttir that made her the leading scorer in qualification with 12 goals. Coach Siggi Eyjólfsson can now look forward to the draw in Helsinki on 18 November, having achieved what no compatriot has done before. "We won this game by being willing to struggle and by being more secure on the ball," he said. "We planned to go after them from the first minute and did so, so the Irish never got into the game. This is the result of two years' hard work by the players and everyone involved."