As England gear up for Euro 2024, they face the second of two friendlies which will provide the team and manager Gareth Southgate the opportunity to assess. The first warm-up saw the Three Lions claim a 3-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina at St James’ Park on Monday and the second takes place at Wembley Stadium, with Iceland the visitors. Iceland failed to qualify for the Euros and will subsequently play unburdened against an under-pressure England outfit. They may also carry an air of confidence, after what happened when the two sides faced off at Euro 2016.
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So, as the two teams get ready for Friday night’s friendly, we revisit that historic night in France eight years ago.
England 1-2 Iceland
27th June 2016
Allianz Riviera Stadium, Nice, France
European Championship Round of 16
1 J Hart 1 H Halldorson
2 K Walker 2 B Saevarsson
5 G Cahill 14 K Arnason
6 C Smalling 6 R Sigurdsson ⚽
3 D Rose 23 A Skulason
20 D Alli 17 A Gunnarsson © 🟨
17 E Dier 10 G Sigurdsson 🟨
10 W Rooney © ⚽ 7 J Gudmundson
15 D Sturridge 🟨 8 B Bjarnason
9 H Kane 9 K Sigthorson ⚽
7 R Sterling 15 J Bodvarson
England’s humiliation
In one of the great international upsets of the modern era, Iceland shocked an England team who had been set a minimum requirement of a quarter-final place by FA chairman, Greg Dyke. Things looked to be going to plan for Roy Hodgson’s team when Wayne Rooney converted a fourth-minute penalty after Raheem Sterling was fouled rounding the keeper.
However, England’s calm was immediately interrupted when an Aron Gunnarsson long throw caused havoc in the box and some extremely poor defending allowed Ragnar Sigurdsson to fire past Joe Hart. With England still reeling from the equaliser, they simply stood and watched as Kolbeinn Sigthorson shot straight at Hart, who proceeded to push the ball into his own net, capping a tournament to forget for the England keeper.
England tried to apply pressure in the second half but nothing they could muster had the necessary edge to phase Iceland, who defended stoically. They wandered around taking their time, with no urgency to their play. Even Rooney, one of England’s most reliable players, produced arguably his worst performance for the national team.
Several of the team’s young stars like Harry Kane and Dele Alli failed to produce what the fans had hoped, powerless to influence the game. A similar plight to that of manager Hodgson, who resigned shortly after the shock exit from the competition.
Three Lions supporters wasted no time in displaying their disappointment with their team. Iceland were ranked 34th in the world at the time but produced a spirited performance, earning the respect of their counterparts. But had the England team been beaten despite their best efforts, it would have been a different story. They simply did not show up on that day and most of the rage was aimed at the lack of passion from England, rather than the quality of the opposition.
There is much less at stake when the two face off on Friday, with England looking to experiment for the upcoming Euros, perhaps even giving more chances to younger and less experienced players. But no doubt the 2016 humiliation will still linger in the mind of those who were there, including captain Kane.
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