It seems to be the Irish way, certainly in events of this nature, to have a little wobble before focusing properly on the business of winning. So it was here at Ljunghusens GC yesterday, when a morning of high anxiety preceded a comfortable victory over Germany in the quarter-finals of the European Men's Amateur Team Championship.

But for Sweden, their wobble became a calamitous collapse when they lost by 4-3 to Iceland, in one of the biggest shocks this event has witnessed in recent years. It was only in 1997 at Portmarnock that the Icelanders made the top flight for the first time: now, coached by a Swede, they are facing Ireland in the semi-finals.

On yet another day of glorious sunshine, which must be doing wonders for the Swedish tourist industry, Scotland got through against Finland and will meet the favourites, England, in the other semi-final.

Meanwhile, in the immediate aftermath of defeat, the Swedish players and their captain sat in a corner of the clubhouse, hardly believing what had just happened. They were beaten by a country of 8,000 golfers, only 60 of whom are capable of playing to a four handicap or better.

Iceland's most senior player, 32-year-old Bjorgium Sigurbergsson, is a survivor of that ground-breaking side of four years ago. "This is the biggest thing in the history of Icelandic golf," he said. "We had everything to win and nothing to lose against Sweden, and we will have the same approach against Ireland."

At number four in the afternoon singles, Sigurbergsson held the key to victory in his match against Niklas Bruzelius. Level after 16, he look the lead with a birdie three at the 17th where he sank a 10-foot putt and went on to secure victory with a half in par at the last, where he got up and down from a greenside bunker.

Incidentally, their singles line-up didn't include Orn Evar Hjarlarsson, a college student in Louisiana, who had the effrontery a few years ago to shoot a course-record 60 on the New Course at St Andrews in the Links Trophy.

Irish skipper, Eddie Dunne, didn't want to consider the emotional implications of today's encounter from an Icelandic standpoint. "They will get the same respect from us that we would have given Sweden," he said.

"There are no soft matches in the top flight." Dunne has retained an unchanged line-up, which means the same foursomes partnerships of Michael Hoey/Graeme McDowell and Stephen Browne/Noel Fox, and a singles order of Hoey, Timmy Rice, Fox, Browne and McDowell. Michael McDermott is out of the side for a second successive day.

Ireland faced a radically remodelled German side which lost six key players to professional ranks last year. The replacements included two teenagers while Germany's most experienced campaigner was 23-year-old Christian Reimbold, runner-up to Miko Ilonen in the British Amateur last year.

Significantly, Reimbold figured prominently in Ireland's morning torment by sinking crucial putts, including a four-footer for a winning birdie on the 17th which brought the Germans level. Then, in attempting to hit a hard draw up the long 18th, Hoey blocked his drive into a hazard on the right.

So, the German pair went on to secure the match with a winning par. By that stage, Fox had pulled his drive into water on the 17th which meant he and Browne were level playing the last.

As things turned out, both players compensated admirably for earlier slips. After Browne had played a wonderfully accurate chip from off the green on the right to within four feet of the pin, Fox never flinched in holing a treacherous putt which broke severely from outside the right lip.

Fox went on to play the best golf of the afternoon, being an approximate five under par when hammering Benjamin Miarka by 4 and 3.

In fact a procession of wins was started by Hoey who was generally in control before wrapping things up on the 15th and 16th. And there was solid application from Rice, who came from one down after 10 to freeze out his opponent by the 17th.

Then at the tail, the team had an ideal anchor man in McDowell, who raced away with wins at the first three holes.

He was ultimately three under par when forcing a concession at the 17th.