These are not happy times for England. The buyer’s remorse from Brexit was still setting in, when its football team got knocked out in the second round of Euro 2016 with a 2-1 loss at the hands of Iceland.
It was, by all measures, a historic upset. Iceland, which has a population of just 3.31 lakh, is the smallest country in the 24-team European tournament. And this is first time it has qualified for any major tourney. Yet, the underdog’s gumption has been admired from the beginning.
On Monday, that pluck was on display again, as Iceland came back from 1-0 down to win the match. At the stadium, Iceland fans couldn’t contain their ecstasy, breaking out into a rousing Viking chant. Online too, celebrations were unsurprisingly fulsome.
Social media reminded that this was England's second serving of humiliation, after the recent referendum in which 52% of the population voted in favour of Britain leaving the European Union. In a quick fallout, Roy Hodgson resigned on Monday as the manager of England's football team.
Indian comparisons were not far behind.
The social media frenzy continued with people posting scathing GIFs, celebratory memes and other creations.
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