Gimli has soccer fever after Iceland's national team in Euro 2016

The beach town of Gimli, Man.hassoccerfever after Iceland's national team pushed UEFA Euro 2016 favouritePortugal to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday.

About 20 nervous Iceland fans crammed into the pub Ship & Plough on Tuesday afternoon, to cheer on their club.

"It's just awesome, everybody is super proud of the team," said HaukurBergmanwho moved to Canada from Iceland in 2011.

Bergmanadds that the strong play of team Iceland and pushing Portugal to adraw yesterday is especially important for the national football club.

"It's a huge step. This gives the younger people, the kids, they look up to their national team. I think in the game yesterday, eight per cent of the national population was at the game," saidBergman.

Iceland, with a population of 330,000, is the smallest nation to ever qualify for a major final tournament and excitement is crashing onto the shores ofGimli, which boasts alarge Icelandic population and an annual Icelandic festival.

Icelanders like Bergmanhave been settling on the western shores of Lake Winnipeg for decades. After the financial crisis in 2008, Bergman and his family decided they wanted to sell everything, uproot from Iceland and move to Canada. After briefly looking into B.C., Bergman, with nine suitcases and a guitar, choose to bring his carpentry skills to the small Manitoba town.

The now self-employed carpentersays the community with deep roots to his homeland has welcomed him with open arms.

"Because we were Icelandic everybody was kind of willing to help and we had some Icelanders that have been there for 20 to25 years, [they] helped us a lot too. It was great."

Scott Carman who opened his gastropub in 2013says the excitement surrounding the national teammeans a lot for the local Icelandic fans too.

"Icelanders are traditionally proud people, so for people to be able to cheer them on. It's great," said Carman.

Iceland is back on the pitch on Saturday when they take on Hungary, a teamIceland hasn't been able to beat in their last five matches.

Carman plans on opening the pub doors early on Saturday for the match and Bergman plans to be there with all the other Iceland fans to root for their homeland heroes.