Incredible reception for Iceland's heroes in Reykjavik

Iceland captured the imagination at Euro 2016, the tiny island nation reaching the quarter finals against all odds and exceeding all expectations. It was a return worthy of the national heroes the squad and management team has become.

It was an ecstatic welcome back in the northern land, tens of thousands turning out to take part in the historic celebrations. The Icelanders left an indelible print on Euro 2016, their fearless approach to the game that defied logic and resources, their sense of unity so brilliantly expressed in the Viking Thunder Clap, and their run beyond their wildest dreams to the quarter finals will not be quickly forgotten.

All the ugliness of the early violence that marred the group stages in Euro 2016 was washed from memory by the northern winds that carried the hope of a nation. The Iceland football team returned to a fitting welcome home.