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The Euro 2016 campaign was regarded by many
as an embarrassment for England. Wales reached
the semi-finals and by far exceeded anyone’s
expectations in doing so. But it was Northern
Ireland who stole the hearts of the whole of Europe
with their enthusiasm, togetherness, grit and
determination.
History had already been made before a ball was
kicked. Northern Ireland topped their group in
qualifying to reach their first major tournament in
30 years. Michael O’Neill said he and his players
were delighted just to be flying out to France, but
they weren’t just there to make up the numbers.
No-one thought they would be capable of pulling
off yet another major shock, making it out of the
group containing world champions Germany,
Poland and Ukraine, a nation of 45 million.
Yet it was their 2-0 win over Ukraine that was
enough to send them through to the knockout
stages of a major tournament for only the third
time in their history.
It goes to show that size didn’t matter at the Euros.
Northern Ireland put themselves on the map.
So much so that some of the biggest names in
football joined in the fun, taking to Twitter to spread
the love for the Green and White Army, Gerard
Pique, Vincent Kompany, Bastian Schweinsteiger
and Didier Drogba to name a few. Everyone wanted
to be part of the remarkable achievement, and it
was a joy to watch.
Ellie Thomason enjoyed
watching Northern
Ireland’s participation
at the Euros from the
comfort of her armchair in
England…
It wasn’t just the players who were making
headlines out in France. The fans played a major
part in why everyone was talking about Northern
Ireland for all the right reasons.
For anyone watching the Germany game there was
only one set of fans to be heard inside the Parc des
Princes. From the first whistle to the last, the fans
didn’t stop singing, and seeing the stadium still
nearly half full 20 minutes after full-time, with “Will
Grigg’s On Fire” belting out, was enough to give
anyone goosebumps.
The irresistible good humour, impeccable
behaviour and incredible support of the Northern
Ireland supporters was so infectious that the fans
were rewarded by both UEFA and the Mayor of
Paris for their “exemplary sportsmanship”.
The fantastic support continued back on home
soil. Airport staff at Belfast International formed a
guard of honour on the team’s homecoming before
thousands packed out the fanzone in Belfast’s
Titanic Quarter to ensure they got the heroes’
welcome they deserved.
It was Rory McIlroy who best summed up the
experience: “You did us all proud. It’s only the
beginning, let’s get to the World Cup in 2018.”
More of the same please!
www.irishfa.com67
PLAYERS AND FANS SHOULD
TAKE A BOW