Finishing his work with the Icelandic national team, Lars Lagerback admitted that he will never forget the last month and that working with this team was special for him.
Working together with Heimir Hallgrimsson, Lagerback reached the quarterfinals of the European Championship, and in the round of 16 eliminated the English national team. Having worked in the team for almost five years, the Swede admitted that working in this country was a huge honor for him, and the only unpleasant moment in the national team was the first half of the match against France last night.
"It was a huge honor for me to work here for four and a half years. This tournament with all the fans who came from home – all the positivity and interest of people, that will always remain in my heart. Apart from the first 45 minutes of yesterday's match, I enjoyed every other moment in this team," Lagerback said.
The coach of the Icelandic national team acknowledged that his team made foolish mistakes in the first half against France, but according to the strategist, you have to learn from such games.
"I would like to congratulate the French. They have a fantastic team, although in the first half we also helped them ourselves. We worked hard, but we didn't use our brains and didn't play as we are used to. We made stupid mistakes and didn't defend as a team. We were very, very passive when we had the ball. From such games, when you are very close to a greater achievement, you have to learn. It was a good reminder that at this level, in every match, you have to be focused every second. However, looking at the whole tournament, reaching the quarterfinals for the newcomers is a fantastic achievement," he said.
