They were happy just to be here.
Nestled beneath a corner TV at Ireland’s Four Courts pub in Arlington, Va., a group of Icelanders prepared to watch their team make its World Cup debut against Argentina.
As the Icelandic squad took the field and stood solemn during their anthem, the Icelanders howled along, led by Gudbjörg Bjarnádottir Ozgun, 56, who had painted a tiny Icelandic flag on her cheeks with lipstick, mascara and eye shadow.
“There’s our boys!” someone shouted.
Among the group were the six employees of the Icelandic Embassy who lent scarves and giant flags to the pub to help transform it into an unlikely base for the unlikely team, for however long their miracle lasted.