Iceland keeper tells Scotland rookie how to bounce back from errors

The National

8 hours ago

The 22-year-old wasn't even meant to be number two to Angus Gunn, but Robby McCrorie's warm-up knock, combined with Gunn's injury six minutes in against Iceland, meant the rookie was thrust in for his senior international bow.
And it is difficult to think of many other Scotland debuts that have gone worse.
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Seconds after coming on, Slicker gave the ball away while playing out from the back. It eventually came to Andri Gudjohnsen, who curved it into the top corner for Iceland's opener. The stopper then could, and probably should, have done better for the visitors' second and third goals.
Elias Olafsson, who watched his fellow keeper's nightmarish evening from between the Iceland sticks, couldn't hide his solace. "It's always tough, especially when you come into the game cold off the bench," he said.
"Then, when you come in and make some mistakes, it's hard to get back into the game. I feel empathy for him.
"It's not the preparation you want for your debut, to not know you're coming in this early in the game as well. It's difficult. To come into the game and know you're going to play, that's 100% the best thing, in my opinion. It's just about now to go to the hotel, forget about this and move on.
"It's not going to be the most fun of nights, but it's about keeping your head up. That's how it is. People see the mistakes. You have to be strong mentally for that. Of course, you hope you make them in training, not in the games. But you can't always. It was not his day today. That's how it is. It was a hard game to come into. I feel it's hard making any debut, coming in when you don't expect to come in. That's how it is when you're a goalkeeper. It's a lonely position, it really is. You can either be a hero or nothing."
Friday marked Olafsson's seventh appearance for his country. He plays his football for Danish top-flight outfit FC Midtjylland, and has done so since 2018.
Prior to his Hampden visit, the 25-year-old had only won two games when starting for Iceland, both of which came against Liechtenstein, the nation currently ranked 204th in the world by FIFA.
The rarity of a victory, therefore, made his trip to Glasgow's southside all the sweeter, even though he expected more from Scotland. "It's a really big one [win], especially with the new things we're trying to build. It worked out pretty well. Apart from the last 20 minutes, where we fell back a little bit trying to keep the ball a little bit, it went well.
"It was really nice to play in front of the Scottish fans as well. It was a nice experience. Coming into the game, I felt like we were going to be under more pressure. I think we handled it well, their pressure. We could play out of it. It's nice to be a part of a win and feel like you brought something to the team. It's a fantastic feeling."
Part of Olafsson's sympathy for Slicker comes from the fact that he himself once made a high-profile error, albeit not for his country. When Midtjylland travelled to face FCSB in Europa League action last season, he gave the ball straight to the feet of Daniel Birligea almost immediately after the second-half restart.
His team lost the game 2-0, yet that's life as a goalkeeper. "I had one [error] in a Europa League game. It's a pretty big mistake from kick-off, but that's how it is. You just have to be honest. It's a mistake by you.
'You just have to be honest and forget about it. It's a part of the game. When we make mistakes, it's very obvious — it leads to a goal. It's a bit of a different position to the outfield players."
Next up for Iceland after their eye-catching Scotland victory is another friendly, this time across the water against Northern Ireland in Belfast. Azerbaijan, France and Ukraine then stand in their way of making it to what would only be a second World Cup next year.
While an arduous qualifying campaign lies ahead, Olafsson relishes the international scene and the refreshing dynamic it provides in comparison to club football. "It's a different game. It's a little bit like European football. If you make mistakes, you get it in the face. It's a different kind of football from the club level."
Slicker will undoubtedly have been down in the dumps after Friday. He had only played one senior match in the entirety of the recent 2024/25 campaign, and it showed.
The stopper didn't look sharp, yet going forward, things can surely only improve. His teammates will rally around him, even if Olafsson didn't get the chance to express his sympathy in person. "No," he replied when asked if he spoke to Slicker post-match.
"Unfortunately, I was too high. It's a big night for me as well. It's a nice feeling."
Scotland travel to Liechtenstein on Monday for the final game before their World Cup qualification quest commences.
Whether Clarke will rotate his team after the Iceland loss remains to be seen, although one thing is for sure: victory is a must, or the mood music surrounding the national team will enter into a state of crisis, if it isn't already.