Iceland secure playoff spot with draw in Norway

OSLO (Reuters) - Iceland took a step nearer their World Cup dream after securing a place in next month's playoffs with a 1-1 Group E qualifying draw in Norway on Tuesday. Iceland finished second in the group behind Switzerland who qualified automatically for the 2014 finals in Brazil. Kolbeinn Sigthorsson put Iceland in front after 12 minutes when Tore Reginiuseen played him onside and he fired the ball past Rune Jarstein. Daniel Braaten leveled for Norway on the half-hour, holding off a defender to slot home from close range. Sigthorsson and Birkir Bjarnason could have put the game out of reach for the visitors in the second half but instead hundreds of Iceland fans had to wait until the final whistle to celebrate the team's achievement with the players. (Reporting by Philip O'Connor in Stockholm, editing by Tony Jimenez)