Dark horse team Iceland (0-0-1, 1 point) will clash with current Group F leaders Hungary (1-0-0, 3 points) at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille on Saturday, June 18 in a 2016 UEFA European Championship group stage match.
The two teams had surprising performances in their opening games of the group competitions as they have both defied the odds in pulling off favorable results respectively.
Iceland stunned tournament-favorite Portugal by holding them to a 1-1 draw at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne on Tuesday, the Mirror reported.
A Selecção started strong, controlling the ball and initiating chances until vice-captain Nani broke the deadlock and netted the first goal of the match at the 31st minute off an assist by midfielder Andre Gomes.
However, head coaches Lars Lagerback and Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side came out livelier after the restart as they tried to fight back.
The team was able to score the equalizer five minutes into the second half with a strike from winger Birkir Bjarnason after a miscommunication in defense by FIFA’s eighth-ranked football team in the world.
Portugal tried to take the win as they threw in attackers with every possession, but Iceland managed to hold their own and avoid any game winners from Cristiano Ronaldo and company.
Strákarnir okkar are projected to finish third in the four-team group, but with the tie they now have a chance to advance in the knockout stages.
Meanwhile, Hungary also pulled off a stunner as they blanked world no. 10 Austria, 2-0, at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux also on Tuesday, as per the Daily Mail Online.
Striker Adam Szalai and winger Zoltan Stieber scored the two goals for head coach Bernd Storck’s boys at the 62nd and 87th minutes respectively as the Nemzeti Tizenegy and their opponents struggled to find the net for more than half of the game.
It was a goalless match until Storck broke the deadlock two minutes after the hour mark, but Austria’s problems got worse when defender Aleksandar Dragovic was sent off at the 66th after getting booked with a second yellow card.
Stieber then doubled the lead to seal the win for the Hungarians with only three minutes remaining before full time.
The predicted result is a 1-0 victory for Iceland.
Iceland starting lineup (4-4-2 formation): Halldorsson; Saevarsson, R. Sigurdsson, Arnason, Skulason; Gudmundsson, Gunnarsson, G. Sigurdsson, Bjarnason; Sigborsson, Bodvarsson
Hungary starting lineup (4-1-4-1 formation): Kiraly; Fiola, Guzmics, Lang, Kadar; Gera; Nemeth, Nagy, Kleinheisler, Dzsudzsak; Szalai
