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Iceland soccer fans cheer on team at World Cup from Portland

On Saturday, Iceland soccer fans cheered the team on in the FIFA World Cup at Ri Ra's Irish Pub in Portland.

PORTLAND (NEWS CENTER Maine)-- On Saturday, Iceland soccer fans watched sports history unfold as they cheered on the country's team in the FIFA World Cup at RiRa's Irish Pub in Portland.

While the U.S. soccer team did not make it to the FIFA World Cup this year, a small, but mighty fan base in Portland which gathered at Ri Ra's Irish Pub on Commercial Street to cheer on the Icelandic soccer team playing in their very first World Cup game.

Portland has a strong trade connection with Iceland due to the shipping company Eimskip on the Maine city's waterfront.

Icelandic transplants living in Portland as well as many die-hard American fans of the Icelandic soccer team began drinking beer and watching Iceland take on Argentina at 9AM Eastern Standard Time. It was an emotional and exciting event to take in.

"We are only a country of 330,000, so we are the least populated country that's ever made it to the World Cup," said Petur Peterson, who moved from Iceland to America in 2005, and then to Maine in 2013. Peterson just recently celebrated officially becoming an American citizen, but his love for his homeland is easy to see.

"It's the biggest event in our sports history, and almost one of the biggest events in our nation's history."

American-born Mainer, Matt Grondin, showed off his love for the Iceland soccer team as well on Saturday, dressing in blue from head to toe. Grondin says after visiting Iceland on his honeymoon, he's become a fan of the country and its soccer team over the last four years.

"There's a real cultural affinity,I feel, with Mainers and Icelanders, so I'm really happy to jump on the bandwagon," Grondin said.

The match ended in a tie between Argentina and Iceland, which was a momentous accomplishment for the underdogs. Iceland will go on to play Nigeria on Friday at 11AM.

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