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1009 vs. Iceland
 
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FINAL MEETING vs. ICELAND
  Friday, 7 June 2024
A pre-European Championship Finals send-off match

England 0 Iceland 1 [0-1]
 
 
The National Stadium connected by EE, Wembley, Brent, Greater London
Kick-off (BST): 7.45pm
Attendance: 81,410
Harry Kane won the toss
Cole Palmer kicked off
96½ minutes 45:58 & 50:35
  [0-1] Jón Dagur Þorsteinsson 12 11:52
takes a pass from Haraldsson and runs into the area before unleashing a right-footed strike from 15 yards low to Ramsdale's right
 
   
  Sverrir Ingi Ingason 45+1 45:14
  Hákon Arnar Haraldsson 79 78:36
Kolbeinn Finnsson 81 80:14
  Commentator: Steve Bower with Rob Green
 
"ICE SCREAM" Mirrorsport/Express
Officials from Italy England Squad Type Iceland Squad
Referee (yellow)
Davide Massa
42 (15 July 1981), Imperia, FIFA-listed 2014
13 Goal Attempts 9
1 Attempts on Target 4
Assistant Referees 0 Hit Bar/Post 0
Giovanni Baccini Davide Imperiale 7 Corner Kicks Won 5
Fourth official
Matteo Marcenaro 30 (5 November 1992), Genova
4 Offside Calls Against 0
Video Assistant Officials               4 Fouls Conceded 9
Michael Fabbri 40 (8 December 1983), Ravenna
Daniele Paterna 36
63% Possession 37%
England Team
 
Rank FIFA (4th April 2024) 4th
EFO ranking Group Two
ELO rating 6th to 9th
Colours The Nike 2024 home uniform - White shadow pinstriped jerseys with navy blue v-necked polo-collars/underarm side panel and white/navy blue/maroon trimmed cuffs, white shorts with navy blue side panel/hem, white socks with navy blue trim.
Captain Harry Kane Manager Gareth Southgate, 53 (3 September 1970), appointed caretaker manager on 27 September 2016, appointed as permanent manager on 30 November 2016. 
⁵⁴ most goals as captain 
64th of 73, W 39 - D 13 - L 12 - F 148 - A 52. 
  Declan Rice 63:17 P 95th of 102, W 58 - D 21 - L 16 - F 205 - A 66.
England Lineup
  three changes on the previous match league position (FINAL POSITIONS)  
1 Ramsdale, Aaron C. 26
24 days
14 May 1998 GK Arsenal FC (PL RU) 5 6ᵍᵃ
final app 2021-24
2 Walker, Kyle A., off 64th min. 34
10 days
28 May 1990 RB Manchester City FC (PL CHAMPIONS) 83 1
5 Stones, John, injured off ht 30
10 days
28 May 1994 RCD Manchester City FC (PL CHAMPIONS) 72 3
6 Guéhi, A.K. Marc-Israel 23
330 days
13 July 2000
in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
LCD Crystal Palace FC (PL 10th) 11 0
3 Trippier, Kieran J., off 64th min. 33
262 days
19 September 1990 LB Newcastle United FC (PL 7th) 48 1
8 Mainoo, Kobbie B. 19
49 days
19 April 2005 RDM Manchester United FC (PL 8th) 3 0
4 Rice, Declan 25
145 days
14 January 1999 LDM Arsenal FC (PL RU) 51 3
7 Palmer, Cole J., off 77th min. 22
32 days
6 May 2002 RAM Chelsea FC (PL 6th) 4 1
10 Foden, Philip W. 24
10 days
28 May 2000 CAM Manchester City FC (PL CHAMPIONS) 34 4
11 Gordon, Anthony M., off 64th min. 23
104 days
24 February 2001 LAM Newcastle United FC (PL 7th) 3 0
9 Kane, Harry E., off 64th min. (63:22) 30
315 days
28 July 1993 CF FC Bayern München, Germany (BL 2nd) 91 63
England Substitutes
scoreline: England 0 Iceland 1
15 Konsa, Ezri N., on half-time for Stones 26
228 days
23 October 1997 RCD Aston Villa FC (PL 4th) 4 2 0
2
19 Alexander-Arnold, Trent J., on 64th min. (63:28) for Walker 25
244 days
7 October 1998 RB Liverpool FC (PL 3rd) 25 20 3
5
17 Toney, Ivan B.E., on 64th min. (63:37) for Kane 28
83 days
16 March 1996 CF Brentford FC (PL 15th) 3 1 1
2
12 Gomez, Joseph D., on 64th min. (63:44) for Trippier 27
15 days
23 May 1997 LB Liverpool FC (PL 3rd) 15 9 0
6
final app 2017-24
25 Saka, Bukayo A.T., on 64th min. (63:49) for Gordon 22
276 days
5 September 2001 LAM Arsenal FC (PL RU) 33 23 11
10
21 Eze, Eberechi O., on 77th min. (76:06) for Palmer 25
344 days
29 June 1998 RAM Crystal Palace FC (PL 10th) 4 1 0
3
result: England 0 Iceland 1
unused substitutes: 13-Dean Henderson, 14-Jarell Quansah, 16-Conor Gallagher, 18-Ollie Watkins, 20-Jarrod Bowen, 22-Jordan Pickford, 23-Adam Wharton, 24-James Trafford.
stadium notes: For the third successive match at the Stadium, England's opponents score the first goal, Brazil, Belgium and Iceland. Not since 1953-54 has the Stadium witnessed a one-nil deficit against Rest of the World, Hungary and Wales.
team notes: 65th Home Loss, thirty of which, are in friendly matches.
The last time England failed to win their last warm-up match before a major tournament was in 1968.
The sixth match against Iceland is the first time that England have failed to score against them. It is only the second friendly match between the two nations, and England are yet to be victorious.
It is the 350th match where the opposition have scored just the one goal, but only the 53rd match where it has resulted in an England defeat.
Tenth match on this date is also their second defeat, having been beaten in 1970 by Brazil.
It is Trent Alexander-Arnold's fourteenth match at a home venue, the previous thirteen had all been victorious.
youth notes: England and Iceland have met several times in youth level matches featuring the participating players.
Trent Alexander-Arnold started for the under-17s against Iceland in July 2014.
Marc Guéhi and substitute Bukayo Saka, played for the under-19s in the November 2018 fixture. Kobbie Mainoo featured in the March 2023 loss.
BME notes: For the first time ever, in the era of using six substitutes, they are made up entirely of BME players.
So for the third time, England end the match with a record eight BME players on the pitch (after Japan, 2010, and Switzerland, 2019).
manager notes: Gareth Southgate is now equal with Bobby Robson in managing England for 95 matches. Only Sir Alf Ramsey and Walter Winterbottom have managed more.
Southgate has now suffered five home losses, only Ramsey and Winterbottom have had more (6).
4-2-3-1 Ramsdale -
Walker
(Alexander-Arnold), Stones (Konsa), Guéhi, Trippier (Gomez) -
Mainoo, Rice -
Palmer
(Eze), Foden, Gordon (Saka) -
Kane
(Toney)
Averages (Starting XI): Age 26 years 219 days Appearances/Goals 36.8 6.9
Iceland Team
 
 Rank FIFA (4th April 2024) 72nd
EFO ranking n/a
ELO rating 73rd
to 68th
Colours Made by Puma - Blue crew-necked jerseys with white trim on collar/cuffs and curved hoop on rear, blue shorts with white trim and blue socks
Captain Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson Manager Åge Fridtjof Hareide, 70 (23 September 1953 in Hareid, Norway), appointed on 14 April 2023.
Sverrir Ingi Ingason 83rd min. twelfth match - W - 6 - D 1 - L 6 - F 19 - A 16.
Iceland Lineup
12 Valdimarsson, Hákon R. 22
238 days
13 October 2001 G Brentford FC, England 10 0
15 Bjarkason, Bjarki Steinn 24
27 days
11 May 2000 RB Venezia FC, Italy 3 0
6 Grétarsson Schmidt, Daniel Leó 28
249 days
2 October 1995 RCD Sønderjyske Fb, Denmark 18 0
5 Ingason, Sverrir Ingi 30
307 days
5 August 1993 LCD FC Midtjylland, Denmark 50 3
46th min. for pulling back a sprinting Bukayo Saka running out of his own area
14 Finnsson, Kolbeinn B. 24
287 days
25 August 1999 LB Lyngby Bk, Denmark 11 0
81st min. after he brought down a sprinting Bukayo Saka outside area
21 Traustason, Arnór Ingvi 31
38 days
30 April 1993 RM IFK Norrköping, Sweden 57 6
7 Guðmundsson, Jóhann Berg, off 83rd min. 33
224 days
27 October 1990 CM Burnley FC, England 92 8
10 Haraldsson, Hákon Arnar, off 83rd min. 21
58 days
10 April 2003 LM Lille Olympique SC, France 18 3
79th min. for down Eberechi Eze down to the floor 40 yds out
     
9
Þorsteinsson, Jón Dagur, off 93rd min. 25
194 days
26 November 1998 RF Oud-Heverlee Leuven, Belgium 36 5
22 Guðjohnsen, Andri L. 22
130 days
29 January 2002
in London, England
CF Lyngby Bk, Denmark 23 6
18 Anderson, Mikael N., off 64th min. 25
342 days
1 July 1998 LF Aarhus Gf, Denmark 27 2
Iceland Substitutes
scoreline: England 0 Iceland 1
16 Þórðarson, Stefán Teitur, on 64th min. (63:07) for Anderson 25
233 days
16 October 1998 LF Silkeborg If, Denmark 20 1
19 Jóhannesson, Ísak Bergmann, on 83rd min. (82:45) for Haraldsson 21
76 days
23 March 2003
in Sutton Coldfield, England
LM FC København, Denmark 26 3
8 Sigurðsson, Arnór, on 83rd min. (82:51) for Guðmundsson 25
27 days
15 May 1999 CM Blackburn Rovers FC, England 32 2
17 Friðriksson, Valgeir Lunddal, on 90th+3 min (92:40) for Þorsteinsson 22
257 days
24 September 2001 RF Bk Häcken, Sweden 9 0
result: England 0 Iceland 1
unused substitutes: 1-Elías Rafn Ólafsson, 2-Alfons Sampsted, 3-Guðmundur Þórarinsson, 4-Brynjar Ingi Bjarnason, 11-Logi Tómasson, 13-Patrik Gunnarson, 20-Sævar Atli Magnússon, 23-Kristian Hlynsson.
team notes:  
manager Åge Hareide had previously taken charge of the Danish national side, and would have managed against England but for the Co-vid pandemic. The March 2020 meeting was postponed. He did play for Norway, however, against England, in September 1980, and in the infamous Norway victory of September 1981.
 
4-3-3 Valdimarsson -
Bjarkason, Grétarsson, Ingason, Finnsson -
Traustason, Guðmundsson (Sigurðsson
), Haraldsson (Jóhannesson) -
Þorsteinsson
(Friðriksson), Guðjohnsen, Anderson (Þórðarson)
Averages (Starting XI): Age 26 years 159 days Appearances/Goals 31.4 2.9
 
    Match Report by Mike Payne

Sometimes when you write a report on England games you have to temper your utter disappointment with an objectional look at the wider issue, and this defeat against Iceland was one such game. With the Euros just around the corner there was definitely an element of caution from the players, not wanting to risk injury or anything else before leaving for Germany. However, the crowd were wanting a good Wembley send-off and unfortunately that did not happen.

England began the match well, moving the ball quickly and creating several good attacks. A lovely pass from Phil Foden picked out Kieran Trippier marauding down the left. Trippier lost control though and the chance was gone. Then Harry Kane won a corner but goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson, looking safe and secure all game, collected Foden's cross quite comfortably. On 11 minutes Anthony Gordon, one of England's few successes on the night, made a fine run down the left showing his pace and leaving a defender for dead. Alas, his final cross was cleared away and again the chance was squandered.

Then, a minute later, the unthinkable happened. Kyle Walker was caught upfield and Kolbeinn Finnsson threaded a good pass down the left into the space for Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson to run onto. John Stones came across to cover but the striker cut inside before firing in a fine low shot and goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale was beaten at his near post. That wasn't in the script, but it was a well taken goal with England's defence found wanting.

England quickly responded with Gordon trying to replicate the goal at the other end, cutting inside from the left but this time shooting well wide of the goal. The play was end to end at this time and when Declan Rice shut down the goalkeeper, the latter's clearance went straight to Cole Palmer. It looked odds on an equaliser, but Palmer's shot was blocked and deflected for a corner with the keeper beaten. There was a look of determination from England and when Kobbie Mainoo found Foden another chance went begging as Foden's shot was weak and easily saved. Certainly it was a game of fast open football, from both teams, too open from an England perspective. And every time England threatened, the final pass was just not good enough and Iceland were let off the hook several times. That was especially so on 28 minutes.

Palmer received the ball on the right and sent over a perfect cross for Kane to run onto. Now, you would have put your house on Kane putting that one away, but instead he guided the ball over the bar, much to everyone's amazement. The crowd were stunned by that miss and although the pressure on the Iceland defence was constant, England had still not seriously tested goalkeeper Valdimarsson. In fact, the nearest we had to another goal came from Iceland who so nearly made it 2-0. How Arnor Ingvi Traustason put a close range shot wide was anyone's guess. The half ended with Iceland doggedly holding their lead and they were impressive at both ends of the field.

England started the second-half on the front foot and in the first ten minutes after the restart Gordon set up Foden who shot just the wrong side of the far post. Then Palmer shot into the side-netting from a tight angle before the same player had another golden chance. Rice, who played well, put a fine pass through to Palmer who had just the goalkeeper to beat, but he took an extra touch and the ball was scrambled clear by backtracking defenders, Shades of the infamous World Cup qualifier against Poland in October 1973, when we did everything but score started to loom in my mind. The difference there though was that the Polish goalkeeper, Jan Tomashevski, worked overtime making save after save, This time though, Valdimarsson never had to make a save apart from a couple of punches clear from crosses. It was Iceland making the best chances and after Gareth Southgate made his usual raft of substitutions, what little rhythm England had went out of the window. Sverrir Ingi Ingason so nearly settled the match as he attacked a cross from the left, when unmarked, and only a fine block by Ramsdale kept England in the game.

Throughout this half the quality of the final passes by England was even worse than the first period. Trent Alexander-Arnold put in a number of crosses after he came on, one of which was just deflected wide of the far post, and a late effort by Mainoo saw a shot fly high over the bar. And that was it and it has to be said that Iceland thoroughly deserved their win. Their players were resolute at the back, quick on the break, took one of their chances to score and have the longest names in International football. England, meanwhile need to regroup quickly, and Southgate needs to organise a much better balanced side, be careful with substitutions and bring the very best out of this talented squad when the important stuff starts in a week's time.

For my part I look back on all the England sides of the past and I wonder what they must think when they find we have lost at home to football minnows Iceland? Still, bring on Aldi and Lidl I say!!
  

Source Notes

TheFA.com
BBC Sport
Iceland FA
  UEFA.com
Mike Payne - football historian and contributor
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