Icelandic feat: joy to the heart, alert for the mind

Some words about football ended on Euro matches 1/8 finals and upcoming quarterfinals.

Close to midnight Moscow time on social networks flooded with enthusiastic posts about "Icelandic fairy tales." And really - the European Championship coming forth, finally, full, fiery sensation, without which it was so boring and gray - Iceland team sent home the proud pioneers of football. What doping do they use? May be some Mildronate?

If you think that I'm not happy for Strákarnir okkar (so if someone does not know the nickname of the Icelandic team, translation means "our guys"), that much I offend - the last minutes of the game with the British worried about them like this the same as for the Russian national football team in the last minutes of the game against Slovakia (just in case: with Wales after 20 minutes have not experienced).

But if you do think about it, the Iceland passage to the quarterfinals of the Euro - is largely sentence of modern football national teams. The team, which 95 percent of our fans even advanced know only one player, and it is because he is registered in the "Krasnodar", can not stay ahead of the game GMs. Then one of two things - either GMs exaggerated, or the game is that the skill does not mean anything to her. Well, or both in one package.

According to the "grand masters" of the English national team is now taking place can be a feeling, really, with the arrangement, shining with irony and sarcasm. Leave it to numerous wishing themselves only note in the margin that even a single Russian achievement at Euro - draw in the first leg - is now dimmed to almost indistinguishable state.

Much more interesting to think about the football game. And here, alas, we have to admit that the defense it takes precedence over the attack. In any case - at the level of teams. In modern football to create density and overlapping zones have learned almost everything. And if top clubs have the opportunity to gather in an attack several superstars, who due to personal skills are all these many obstacles to overcome, the teams had to be satisfied with what we have. And there are, as a rule, not so much to dominate - even over Northern Ireland and Albania, not to mention now about the great and terrible Iceland.

And if it is multiplied further and overly cautious, if not, the alarm caused by the fact that looking at you your whole country ... Someone like, alas, Russia, it is hopelessly binds and freeze, someone elementary forces act carefully , stepping on the throat of an offensive song. In case of Russia national team, they are for sure forget take some Mildronate before games.

That's what really good Iceland, it's the fact that just plays football - without any ulterior motives, as best he can, even if not at grandmaster level. We will not mention the team of our miserable - take, for example, Slovaks.

I am sure they come out against the Germans play football, though neat, but football would get so much more fun and more effective. Not the fact that you won, but we would not have seen such a hopeless hopelessness. But it is - increased accountability for results, that is, in fact, increased the fear of making a mistake. Which usually leads to errors.

What kind of bad joke this state has played with the Croats! Those Croats themselves that everything is so admired in the group stage. They were completely similar to the Russian national team, with players only higher class - the good, what else, the Portuguese did not show Welsh fervor. But the result, it is still turned out quite logical.

The fear of losing can ruin anyone. Even the greatest Bobby Fischer at the time she pulled out of the chess life - despite all its indisputable superiority over his contemporaries. And what can we talk about football, "grandmaster" ....

To overcome this phobia can be, perhaps, only in two ways - firstly, having worked piercing "winning spirit", as do top teams (many of them do not happen - the Germans, for example, such a spirit is, but in no Englishmen like class). Play real GMs can only equal to itself (without the quotes) (as just happened with the Spanish) or take some forbidden drugs?

The second way is much more difficult to execute - it is just what Icelanders demonstrate. They think about the game, not the result. And try to enjoy it, which is a prerequisite. So, by the way, in one degree or another they were all precast, leaped at the current Euro above the head - Hungarian, Welsh, Northern Irish.

And now, by the way, it is interesting to see how this free-style-play of Icelanders remain in the same Welsh in the quarter - in fact, the higher the stage, the more powerful the pressure of the result. If Wales and Iceland come against Belgium and France, respectively, to play football, the chances they will be. If you get the desired outcome - underdog doomed.

I assure you, they themselves, like a true athlete, it is understood. But understand - not to fulfill. The Russian national team again - the clearest example of this. And another team to me from this point of view is very interesting in the quarterfinals - the team of Poland.

Such a strong and balanced team of Polish I do not remember from the period of 1974-1978 years. But then they were born unique star generation (Lato, Szarmach, Gadoha, Dana, Zhmud, Lyubanski, etc), and now even individual stars and there, but not in the industrial scale. But the alignment of the game, its organization - at the highest level.

I personally was convinced that with the Swiss Poles sorted out quite easily. Initially and occurred. But after scoring a goal, trust Adam Navalki clearly thought about the result of the fact that it is time to protect mined. And all gave the initiative to the opponent. For that and were punished - though not to the end.

If such thoughts visit Lewandowski and the company in a match with ushlymi cunning and Portuguese - the curtain after the Croats can be lowered immediately. But if the Poles will be able to have the proven avoid typical pitfalls, the prospects are very bright - Today, I am convinced they are stronger than the team name Cristiano Ronaldo.

But the most interesting quarterfinals will take place, of course, in Bordeaux. The expression "early final" has long been a stamp, but can not do without it. On Saturday in the capital of Aquitaine certainly converge two strongest teams of the championship.

Now, from the distant Tuesday, it seems to me that the chances of Italians just above - and because they are accustomed to the Germans to pass, because better than anyone else in the tournament know what they want, and what methods will be their volition to implement. Stars like the German attack they have, but there is a great and unsurpassed Buffon played with the world's first line of defense.

And most importantly - they have Antonio Conte, who leaps and bounds is the fact that too can become great and unrivaled. Joachim Levu have much to scratch, to stop the Italians along the way.

Summarizing, we can say that we are waiting for a match of giants and three attempts to overcome the Earth's gravity. Naturally, we will support it, that in all three cases, it is possible - the more so because it is a nice Poland, his native Wales and has already fallen in love with himself absolutely all of Iceland.

But heart aching for them, the mind still have to understand: the semi-finals Poland - Wales, and Iceland - one of the monsters will mean exactly one thing: football at the level of teams is close to a state of complete meaninglessness.