Tottenham's Gylfi Sigurdsson Helps Make History As Iceland Secure Play-Off Spot

Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson was part of the Iceland team that made history on Tuesday when the Scandinavians earned an unprecedented playoff place and possible qualification for the World Cup next summer.

The Nordic nation with a population of just 320,000 joined Croatia, Sweden, Romania, Portugal, Greece, Ukraine and France in escaping their respective groups to fight for one last chance to book their place in Brazil next summer, but will have Switzerland to thank for helping them get there.

Iceland travelled to Oslo for a finale against Norway knowing that they needed to match or better the result third placed Slovenia picked up on their travels to Berne.

Switzerland, who confirmed their qualification as Group E winners on Friday, won the clash when Granit Xhaka scored the game's only goal after 74 minutes, leaving it down to Iceland to take at least a point from Norway.

In the battle between the two Scandinavian rivals, Spurs man Sigurdsson would create an opening after 12 minutes, threading a ball through to Kolbeinn Sigthorsson who eagerly converted.

The Icelanders were pegged back by former Bolton Wanderers misfit Daniel Braaten in the second half, but despite both goalkeepers being tested throughout the contest's nervy last half hour, the points were shared allowing Iceland to seal second spot ahead of Slovenia.

A play-off position leaves Lars Lagerback's side faced with seven formidable options, including former world champions France and a Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired Portugal.

But Sigurdsson, who has been instrumental in ensuring his country defied expectation in striking three goals during the qualifying campaign, insist he and his compatriots are ready for any challenge awaiting them.

"Amazing, it's an unbelievable feeling, fantastic," Sigurdsson was quoted as saying by Tottenham's official website. "It was always our target to finish second in the group.

"We've got a young squad, but also with more experienced players, a good mix and it was our target to get second spot and get into the play-offs, so it's a target achieved. It's a great feeling.

"There were a few nerves, especially at the end. We knew Switzerland were winning 1-0, so we didn't take any chances, we sat back and made sure we didn't lose the game. We knew about that from the bench, but there were about 2000 fans there as well, and they certainly let us know.

"There are some big teams in the play-offs but this result shows we can handle the pressure of going away and needing to get a result. We've got players who can attack and score goals so hopefully that combination will be enough to get us through to the finals."