Just In Lars Lagerback Quits As Iceland Coach

Former Super Eagles's coach, Lars Lagerbäck’s tenure as the Iceland head coach has come to an end following the country's dismal defeat to the host at the ongoing UEFA EU|RO 2016 championship in France.

Iceland announced back in May had announced that the Swede would not continue after the tournament, their first-ever appearance on the major international stage.

Lagerbäck watched from the sidelines as his side suffered a heavy 5-2 defeat to host France on Sunday night.

It would be recalled that, Lagerback led the Super Eagles to a forgettable FIFA World Cup in 2010 he has now confirmed that he will be standing down to give opportunity to Icelandic Heimir Hallgrímsson.

“I may come back to coaching in some capacity, but now it’s Heimir [Hallgrímsson]’s turn to test his abilities and fly with the national team.

“We didn’t handle it well mentally, but in the second half we showed it wasn’t a physical problem. These are the games you have to learn from and we need to learn from this. This was a good reminder that you have to have the right attitude every second.

“If you look at the whole tournament, to reach the quarter-finals as a newcomer is absolutely fantastic. We didn’t use our brains, but part of that might be France playing very well. We made mistakes and were too passive.

“I’d like to congratulate France. They’re a fantastic team and they made us look bad, even if we contributed to that. These four-and-a-half years have been a fantastic journey for me. With all the fans coming here and what we heard from back home, and all the positivity and interest – I feel it deep in my heart. I’ve enjoyed every minute, except maybe the first 45 minutes today.” Lagerbäck said as quoted on UEFA.com

Under Lagerbäck, Iceland qualified for the play-off stage of the qualification tournament for the 2014 World Cup, but Croatia were the victors over two legs. Shortly thereafter Lagerbäck signed a new contract, this time as joint manager with his former Iceland assistant Heimir Hallgrímsson, who will then be the sole manager following Euro 2016, with Lagerbäck retiring.