The celebration did not match the achievement but then we are talking about Lars Lagerback here, possibly the most understated manager in the history of the game. As Iceland, with a population of 329,000, secured qualification for Euro 2016 with a draw against Kazakhstan, the Swede zipped up his jacket a bit, shook his head ruefully, and started walking towards the players out on the pitch.

There the heroes were, in a circle, dancing and singing in the pouring rain, enjoying the adulation from the 10,000 crowd at Laugardalsvollur. Lagerback stood on the outside, looking in, not wanting to take centre stage.

“Someone said it is like a fairytale and I guess that is true in a way, but not in another,” Lagerback said after the final whistle. “This is the result of hard work from a lot of people. Everyone has improved.

“There has been a lot of talk about my role and that I am going to become president, but all it is about is that we are a group of people who have worked incredibly hard in a good environment. And then we have some very, very good footballers.”

Those players include Gylfi Sigurdsson, the Swansea City attacking midfielder, who is the country’s top scorer in qualifying with five goals, and the captain Aron Gunnarsson, who plays for Cardiff City. Those two get most of the credit but this is a squad full of quality players, such as Hannes Halldorsson (NEC) in goal, Kari Arnason (Malmo FF) in defence, Birkir Bjarnason (Basel) in midfield and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson (Nantes) up front.

Iceland players jump around the pitch in joy following the final whistle in their match against Kazakhstan on Sunday night, the 0-0 draw securing them a place in the Euro 2016 championships. Guardian

Eidur Gudjohnsen is still around, but he has made only two appearances in this qualifying campaign and to focus on him because of his previous achievements would be a disservice to the other players. Either way, there is a strong feeling of togetherness in the squad and they will take some beating in France next year.

There is a special bond between the players and fans too, shown by the celebrations after the game and the way the squad and the supporters partied together late in to the night at Ingolfstorg (Ingolfur square). The players were, understandably, euphoric. Gunnarsson said: “I have no words to describe this. This has been my dream since I started with football as a young kid.”

The assistant Heimir Hallgrimsson added: “I would give the credit to the youth coaches in Iceland. They are probably among the best in the world.” Ragnar Sigurdsson, the Krasnodar defender, said: “I think it’s one of the greatest achievement in the football history of the world.” He has a point. Lagerback took over as Iceland coach in October 2011 after yet another demoralising qualifying campaign, this time for Euro 2012, had come to an end. Iceland had mustered one win in eight games – against Cyprus at home – when the Swede was appointed.

He appointed Hallgrimsson as his assistant and they made an immediate impact. In qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, Iceland finished second in the group behind Switzerland and missed out on a place in Brazil after a two-leg play-off defeat against Croatia.

Lagerback is right, though, when he says that a lot of people have worked very hard for this to happen. Praise must go to the Icelandic FA and its work on improving facilities. Until the turn of the century, football could be played for only four or five months a year, severely restricting young players’ development.

However, in the beginning of the 2000s, seven full-size indoor pitches were built and a further 20 artificial full-size pitches were added outdoors around the country. In addition, almost every school now has an artificial football pitch and there are a total of 130 on the island.

The indoor halls are open from early morning to late at night and anyone can walk in and play football, if the local school or club are not using it. “The sport halls and the artificial pitches have meant a huge amount,” Arnason said last year. “Just look at how technically gifted the young players coming up now are.”

The Icelandic newspaper Frettabladid pays tribute to Lars Lagerback. Photograph: Frettabladid

The fans, too, deserve a mention. Around 3,000 made the trip to the Netherlands for last Friday’s crucial 1-0 win against Holland. That is around 1% of the population. If the equivalent happened with England, there would be around 550,000 fans following Roy Hodgson’s team around. “The support we have been given, both home and away, has been fantastic,” Lagerback said after the victory against Holland. “Even I got goosebumps when I heard them sing the national anthem.”

Lagerback, of course, is no stranger when it comes to qualifying for a major tournament, having taken Sweden to five straight finals between 2000 and 2008, a feat no one else has achieved. Towards the end, however, he was criticised in his home country for a perceived lack of ambition at the various finals. But, as in so many cases, absence has made the Swedes’ hearts grow fonder and in a poll in Aftonbladet last week 93.8% of readers said they would rather have Lagerback than the incumbent, Erik Hamren.

And on Sunday night, the 67-year-old admitted that this achievement topped anything he had done with Sweden. “It has been fantastic,” he said. “It was big to qualify with Sweden, but this is extra special. People are proud here and you can feel that proudness. I say that from the bottom of my heart. Yes, I am struggling to find words to describe this.”

And so are others. Iceland have 21,508 registered players. Holland, who are languishing in fourth in Iceland’s qualifying group, have 1,138,860. Germany have 6,308,946.

Despite this, Lagerback does not want to picture himself as a miracle worker. “I wouldn’t say that I am a hero,” he said on Sunday night. “Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and people like that are real heroes.”

He did concede, however, that he and the rest of the group “have done a pretty good job”. And with that he walked off, having made history in the most unassuming, yet incredible, of ways.