Home help raises Iceland spirits

Ólína Vidarsdóttir has thanked the Iceland fans for their support following the 3-1 defeat by France on their maiden appearance in the final tournament of a UEFA European Women's Championship, saying "even though we lost we are still their girls".

Home backing
The Group B encounter in Tampere on Monday was the first time that the national team, either male or female, had competed in the latter stages of a senior competition. While the start to UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ was not one players and supporters alike would have dreamt of, Vidarsdóttir has been overwhelmed by the reaction back home and would dearly love to repay her compatriots' faith by taking three points off Norway.

'Good vibes'
"Everybody has been very supportive," the KIF Örebro DFF defender told uefa.com. "In Iceland we all stick together anyway and we are getting good vibes from back home – even though we lost we are still their girls and they're 100 per cent behind us. It means a lot to us."

'Exciting' game
Vidarsdóttir's coach, Siggi Eyjólfsson, admitted that such was the disappointment at full time against France that "half the team were crying on the pitch after the match". Vidarsdóttir and her team-mates have, however, quickly moved on and the 26-year-old is relishing the chance to play the two-time winners and 2005 runners-up. "We have gone over the game against France, seen what we did wrong and fixed it," she said. "We will focus on the next game and it's obviously an exciting one against Norway, so it's not very hard to get pumped up for."

Progress
Win or lose at Lahti Stadium, simply reaching Finland has been an achievement in itself for Eyjólfsson's squad, helping also to fuel the development of women's football in Iceland. "It means a lot to be here, especially for the women's game and the younger players," continued Vidarsdóttir, who made six appearances in qualifying. "There's a lot more interest in women's football now in Iceland and there's a lot more quality in the training of younger players, something which can only come from increased interest in the national team and our success lately."