Euro qualifier at Spotland!

Belgian free kick

Whilst Dale played away at Grimsby this past weekend, Spotland Stadium played host (on Sunday 14 October) to a Euro qualifier - Belgium v Iceland Under 19s. Entrance to watch the game was free but the prospect of International football at Spotland still only managed to entice 274 football fans away from their Sunday night armchairs!

However, the 274 who did attend made for a very appreciative audience as were thoroughly entertained watching a great game of football that included technical skills from both teams that belied their young age.

Iceland made a terrific start to the game going ahead within minutes of the kick off from a superb thirty yard strike Gylfi Thor Sigurdsson, a player on Readings books. They kept the pressure up and dominated the first 20 minutes and added a second through Kristin Jonsson before Belgium finally found their feet and began pressing hard to get back into the game.

Belgium made lots of chances during a sustained period of pressure coming up to half time but Nill De Pauw found the net with just one of them, leaving Iceland to go into the half time break in front.

In the second half neither team really dominated and the Belgium will was finally broken when Josef Kristinn Josefsson hit a third for Iceland in the 80th minute to kill off the game.

Belgium and Iceland are in the same group, Group 3, as England with Romania making up the group. Iceland's win, against the odds now sees them as favourites to qualify in second place behind England.