By SBI SOCCER

The old adage that history was made yesterday rings true once again, with Iceland becoming the smallest nation to ever qualify for the European Championship Sunday.

Iceland has an estimated population of 329,100, but that figure did not stop it from defeating the Netherlands Thursday and drawing Kazakhstan, 0-0, Sunday. Those results, added to its already impressive UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, helped the country progress to Europe’s big dance for the first time ever.

“It’s unbelievable – I’m shocked,” Iceland captain Aron Gunnarsson said after he realized his nation qualified for Europe’s biggest soccer competition.

“We’ve worked ever so hard to get to this point. We’re the first Icelandic team to qualify for a finals – when I started playing football, I never even dreamed this could happen.”

In comparison, Slovenia was the smallest nation to qualify previously, and it had an estimated population of 1,988,292 in July 2014.

Although Iceland currently tops Group A, Czech Republic also progressed to the competition’s final stage Sunday, as it has the same amount of points, 19, as Iceland.

Here are some more news and notes from around the world:

TURKEY TAKEDOWN LEAVES NETHERLANDS WINLESS IN SEPTEMBER BREAK

Iceland qualifying for the finals wasn’t the only shock Sunday, as Turkey thumped the Netherlands, 3-0, leaving the Dutch side on the outside looking in on advancement into Euro 2016.

After allowing a late goal to disappointingly draw Latvia, 1-1, Turkey rebounded in a big way, leapfrogging Netherlands into third in Group A.

“It was very important for us to win and go third, two points ahead of the Netherlands,” Turkey midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu said after taking down Netherlands. “Now we have two very difficult games ahead, but I hope – I believe – we will finish ahead of them if we perform like that.

“Of course nobody expected (a 3-0 win), but what mattered most was to keep battling and never stop believing. We did that today, with the help of our fans. I thank the people of (host city) Konya too; they were behind us all along.”

Meanwhile, the Netherlands now sit in fourth in the group, and former captain Robin Van Persie told Dutch outlet NOS that the situation the team put itself in is “terrible.”

“This whole qualification scenario looks very difficult,” Van Persie said, “but we still have opportunities. We need to continue until the end anyway and win the last two games.”

The remaining schedules for both sides does favor the Netherlands, though, with Turkey having to face second-place Czech Republic and first-place Iceland to close out the qualification process.

ENGLAND MANAGER SAYS DANNY WELBECK OUT SIX MONTHS

One week after undergoing surgery to fix his left knee, Danny Welbeck now has an expected timetable for his return, but it’s not any time soon.

One day after securing its spot in Euro 2016, England manager Roy Hodgson told the Telegraph Sunday that Welbeck would be out for approximately six months in order to recover.

“Well, Welbeck bothers me now,” Hodgson said. “He has already been out for me since March and for Arsenal since April, so that’s over four months, isn’t it? And now I hear it’s another six months, so I can only hope that Danny recovers a bit quicker and then hits the ground running.”

The length is not only a concern for the national team but also English club Arsenal. It did not sign a single striker or attacking presence during the summer transfer window, leaving a cause for concern with depth in attack.

QUICK KICKS

Mario Balotelli has reportedly been caught speeding, and his license was taken away from him. (REPORT)

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Lukasz Piszczek have both returned to Borrusia Dortmund early from international competition after sustaining injuries. (REPORT)

Midfielder Micahel Carrick withdraws from the English national team early due to an injury. (REPORT)

Belgium head coach Marc Wilmot said “(Eden) Hazard was the worst” in Sunday’s 1-0 win against Cyprus despite the Chelsea playmaker scoring the game-winning goal. (REPORT)

Wayne Rooney said he regrets going to Las Vegas ahead of Euro 2012. (REPORT)

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What do you think about Iceland qualifying for Euro 2016? Think the Netherlands can still advance to next year’s tournament? Or will Turkey?

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