Aside for cheering for the countries of my ethnicities, I have always had the habit of pulling for the underdogs.
One of those underdogs that I have followed in recent years is the Faroe Islands national football team.
I first became a fan of the Faroes during Euro 2016 qualification when the under-matched minnows were able to defeat Greece 1-0 in Piraeus.
Winger Joan Simun Edmundsson went down in Faroes football folklore by scoring the only goal of the match at the hour mark.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the score and of course a lot of laughter took place, but more so because my friend and I always contended that Greece was one of the most overrated teams in Europe.
Obviously, the result said a lot about Greece and its ultra-defensive tactics, AKA boring football.
But the result also showed how much football has improved for the Faroes under the guidance of Danish manager Lars Olsen.
The progress continued as the Faroes also defeated the Greeks 2-1 in the return leg in Torshavn with goals coming from Hallur Hansson and Brandur Olsen.
The Faroe Islands’ ranking shot up like no other and during 2018 World Cup qualification, the Faroes won two matches and drew three for a total of 9 points.
When looking at the roster of the Faroe Islands, we now can see more national team members plying their trade overseas in Iceland, Norway, Denmark, and Germany.
Joan Simun Edmundsson of Arminia Bielefeld became the first Faroese player to score in German professional football in his debut against FC Heidenheim on 6 August.
The first test for the Faroe Islands in Nations League will take place at home against Malta on 7 September.
The Faroes are favored, but will the pressure have an effect on how the game goes against Malta?
Malta is not going to be easy. But as long as the Faroes execute and play smart, they should come out victorious.
Prediction: Faroe Islands 2-0 Malta
Published on: Nationsleaguefootball.wordpress.com
The article was published on August 10, prior to Faroe Islands‘ 3-1 victory over Malta – and the subsequent 2-0 defeat to Kosovo. In the coming weeks, we will be sharing Eftekhari‘s articles on the Faroese and Icelandic national team.
