Berglind Thorvaldsdóttir made up for her failed spot-kick with Iceland’s opening goal at Euro 2022 but it was cancelled out by Justine Vanhaevermaet’s successful penalty to earn Belgium a point in east Manchester.
Coming into the tournament, Iceland’s star player, Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir, had described the prospect of playing at the Academy Stadium on the Etihad Campus, in the shadow of its big brother, as “embarrassing”. Her argument stood up as both ends were closed to spectators due to the fact Uefa do not permit terracing during the tournament. The capacity was reduced by a third – there were 3,809 inside the ground – although the Iceland thunderclap and those in possession of drums tried to make up for the absent thousands.
The heat dictated play in the early stages with both sides keeping one eye on the need to conserve energy on a pitch bathed in sunshine. While Iceland maintained possession, Belgium seemed intent on playing in a more direct fashion to get the ball to Janice Cayman as quickly as possible. Neither tactic resulted in either goalkeeper being tested in the opening half‑hour.
Iceland created the best opening when they won the ball back on halfway, allowing Thorvaldsdóttir to slip the ball into the path of the onrushing Sveindís Jónsdóttir, but she was unable to control the ball to put her through one-on-one with the goalkeeper. She was put under pressure by Jody Vangheluwe, who saw the danger early and prevented what would have been a certain goal.
The Belgium goalkeeper Nicky Evrard finally got a touch of the ball in the 33rd minute after a long delay as the VAR checked for a penalty when Jónsdóttir pinged a cross straight at Davina Philtjens from close range. The ball went off for a corner but the referee, after seeing a replay, deemed the offence worthy of a penalty despite the proximity. Belgium need not have worried: Thorvaldsdóttir put her weak penalty too close to the goalkeeper, allowing her to get down easily and hold on.
Within two minutes of the restart Iceland’s most dangerous player, Sveindís Jónsdóttir, showed her dribbling skills with a mazy run down the left, outwitting two defenders before going through on goal. With the angle against her, Jónsdóttir went across the goalkeeper but Evrard’s outstretched leg diverted the ball up into the air and it was headed behind for a corner.
Evrard was left helpless moments later when Thorvaldsdóttir made amends for her penalty miss. The striker lurked unmarked at the back post, where she had enough space to head Karólína Vilhjálmsdóttir’s inswinging cross home through Evrard’s hands from close range without needing to get off the ground. Not everyone gets a second chance and Thorvaldsdóttir certainly enjoyed the moment, running away to a section of vociferous Iceland fans.
There was no requirement for VAR to get involved for Belgium’s penalty after Elena Dhont was clumsily tripped just inside the area by Gunnhildur Jónsdóttir. Vanhaevermaet kept her cool in the heat to send the goalkeeper the wrong way for a thoroughly undeserved equaliser.
Iceland continued to have the majority of possession but Belgium came close to snatching a winner when Tessa Wullaert found space 20 yards from goal and looked to curl a shot beyond Sandra Sigurdardóttir but she read the trajectory and palmed the ball behind.
Belgium were struggling to deal with set pieces and crosses into the box. Iceland sent in a bombardment of corners and long throws for repeated games of pinball but each time the Belgians did just enough to clear and hold out. Their coach, Ives Serneels, said: “We knew these were not the easiest situations for our team but we dealt with them well.”
Cayman thought she had won a penalty with two minutes left when she was brought down in the area as she tried to round the goalkeeper. The referee pointed to the spot but the glee was short-lived because the assistant referee’s flag was raised and the match ended level, a result neither side wanted with France and Italy to come in a tough group.
“It was a decent game, I think we deserved more from it,” Sveindís Jónsdóttir, the player of the match, said. “We will take the positives into the next game. We had a lot more to give and we deserved more than a point. It was so much fun. I am really happy with the Icelandic supporters we’ve got here. We barely heard each other on the field. They had our back. It was really nice.”
