World Cup debutants Iceland are ready for the “game of their lives” against Argentina in their Group D opening clash on Saturday, said midfielder Rurik Gislason Thursday.
“For us this is the biggest game of our lives, our first ever game in the World Cup, the biggest tournament of all,” Gislason told AFP.
Before leaving the team’s Black Sea coast base at Gelendzshik to travel to Moscow, squad members sounded optimistic.
“Argentina may have a better team on paper but we have showed before that we can get results against big teams,” said Gilason.
The Nordic minnows embarked on a fairytale run to the quarter-finals at Euro 2016, their first ever major tournament.
After drawing with eventual winners Portugal they staged a dramatic comeback win against England to condemn Roy Hodgson’s team to a humiliating last-16 exit.
“The squad is very calm,” said Arnor Traustason who scored a famous added-time winner against Austria in Euro 2016 to secure progress from the group stage.
“We just want to keep on writing history,” Traustason told AFP.
“It’s ok if countries underestimate us, it just benefits us,” he said.