David Hytner was at Wembley. His report is in. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.
Gareth Southgate gives his verdict to Channel 4. “We learned a lot … we know the performance wasn’t good enough … so many players needed the game … we’re managing their minutes … it was obviously a disjointed and disappointing performance … we didn’t show enough character … it’s a really good focus for us ahead of the tournament … everyone is saying we’re going to walk through and have no problems but the reality of international football isn’t that … we have to be far better without the ball … we’ve got to show more composure with the ball … across the two games we haven’t had our full side out at any one point … so it’s been a strange preparation … taking players off after an hour when you’d really be pushing to turn the result around … we’ve had to look at people … it’s not perfect … inevitably players have one eye with what’s coming … no excuses but there are a lot of things we can put right quickly … we think [John Stones] is probably OK but we didn’t want to take a chance … we’ll be ready … we have to stay calm … we had enough chances to win but we conceded too many as well.”
Declan Rice speaks to Channel 4. “When you have that much of the ball, have a couple of really clear-cut chances, and get beat 1-0 at home just before the Euros, it isn’t ideal … but I’m going to take the positives … there were a lot of promising performances … we played with a good tempo … always tried to play forward … we have to be a little bit more savvy … it’s not ideal we lost but there are good learning curves we can build on as a team … there’s no doubt our quality on the ball … against the teams that sit in like that, it’s being more mentally switched on … we were a bit exposed with our press and not as compact as we usually are … inside I’m hurting … there’s work to be done … we all want to put things right … every game there’s another chance to get better … we’re going to be more than ready for Serbia.”
Post-match postbag. “For Icelandic football, this is but a footnote to the greatest result in our history. However, for most of my life as a fan of Iceland, all I’ve had to enjoy is footnotes. I’m about to board an Icelandair plane and while I don’t expect complimentary champagne, I expect a spring in the step of my fellow Icelanders, who’ve been glued to their phones all around me” – Kári Tulinius
“There’s just enough time for Gareth to get an accelerated degree in dentistry before the start of the Euros, if he gets his skates on” – Charles Antaki
Anthony Gordon speaks to Channel 4. “It didn’t go the way we wanted … but there’s a bigger picture, that’s great practice for us … it’s how teams are probably going to play against us … the more we play against teams like that, and learn how to break them down, the better for us going into the tournament … we had a lack of quality around the final third … that was the first time I’ve kicked a ball for four weeks so I just wanted to run … I want to go into the tournament feeling fit and fresh … the lads who got the news took it so well … they were very respectful to the other lads … the camp feels amazing and we feel ready to go … it won’t hit me until I’m on the plane, because that’s all you hear, ‘are you on the plane’, so the plane’s the exciting bit for me now! … I just want to see what the plane’s like, I’m expecting something, a big mad plane! … we’ve got a day off to enjoy some family but I can’t wait … obviously being where I’m from, [Channel 4 pundit Wayne Rooney] gave me that pathway to believe I could do it, so [turns to Rooney] thanks mate!”
A disappointing evening for England, for sure, but it’s clearly not dampened the young man’s excitement ahead of his first international tournament. That was such a heart-warming interview.
A few boos at the final whistle, just as there were at the break. England weren’t at the races at all. Harry Kane missed a first-half sitter, while Cole Palmer couldn’t take advantage of a couple of early second-half chances, but other than that, Iceland defended well and weren’t troubled much. They scored a fine goal of their own, Jón Dagur Thorsteinsson ending a sweeping team move down the left wing with a fizzing drive, and should have scored a second midway through the second half when the same man slipped with only Aaron Ramsdale to beat. The visitors thoroughly deserved their victory on balance, with only Anthony Gordon and Trent Alexander-Arnold playing close to their normal high standards. A performance to forget … though with Euro 2024 just a week away, there’s not much chance of Gareth Southgate and his team being allowed to do that.
FULL TIME: England 0-1 Iceland
There’s no winning send-off for England. Iceland deservedly beat them.
90 min +5: The corner’s half-cleared to Gomez, who bobbles a wild shot wide left. Goal kick.
90 min +4: Fridriksson is immediately in the thick of it, intercepting Foden’s attempt to release Alexander-Arnold down the right. But England come again, and Alexander-Arnold threads a low cross from the right through the six-yard box. Nobody there to prod home! It takes a slight nick and it’ll be a corner. One last chance for England.
90 min +3: Valgeir Fridriksson is replaced by the goalscorer Thorsteinsson.
90 min +2: Rice shovels a ball into the box for Saka, who hooks it back from the byline. Valdimarsson comes off his line and flaps, then Toney goes down having been skittled, but there’ll be no penalty because the flag goes up for offside. Correctly so, Saka was miles off.
90 min: Alexander-Arnold crosses from the right. Valdimarsson claims. England come again. Saka drops a shoulder and takes a shot, but it’s blocked at source. There will be five additional minutes.
89 min: England’s new kit is nice, though. Very pretty.
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88 min: A throw into the England box. Some head tennis. England clear their lines, but all of this is happening at the wrong end of the pitch as far as they’re concerned.
86 min: Gomez crosses deep from the left. Alexander-Arnold attempts to replicate his volleyed goal from Monday night, but gets this one all wrong, coming in from the right and meeting it with a shank that sends the ball 30 yards back up the left wing. That’s met with some high amusement from the England fans, who may be slipping into gallows-humour mode.
85 min: Mainoo hoicks over the bar from the left-hand edge of the box. There wasn’t much else on.
84 min: Ísak Bergmann Johannesson and Arnór Sigurdsson come on for Haraldsson and Anderson.
82 min: Alexander-Arnold sends the free kick into the six-yard box. It’s bending away from the keeper, but Valdimarsson still manages to meet it with a clearing punch. “Southgate is a coaching genius,” opines Drew Ellis, “lowering expectations to dentist-chair opprobrium levels, pre-tournament kickoff.
81 min: Rice sprays a glorious first-time pass down the right for Saka, who is about to get past Finnsson when the Iceland defender flips him into the air. Another yellow card, and a free kick in a very dangerous position, just outside the box on the right.
80 min: Alexander-Arnold swings the resulting free kick into the mixer from the right. Toney rises highest but can’t get his header on target. Goal kick.
79 min: Haraldsson is booked for a rugby-style clamber over Mainoo.
78 min: Iceland look comfortable and confident now. The home fans mutter vague disapproval. “I’ve been trying to figure out where the atmosphere this evening is more like a morgue,” writes Chris Murphy. “Wembley or Conservative Central Office.”
77 min: Nothing comes of the second corner in that sequence, and England finally get out. Palmer is then replaced by Eze.
76 min: For a second, it looks as though Gudjohnsen will tear clear down the inside-left channel. Alexander-Arnold gets back to toe-poke out for a corner before he can shoot. Then from the corner, only half-cleared, Finnsson loops into the mixer from distance. Ramsdale is forced to claw the ball out from underneath the bar and tip over for another corner.
74 min: Iceland pin England back for the first time this evening. The home defence is in slight disarray in the wake of all those changes, and the visitors scent blood. A second goal is by no means a pipe dream.
73 min: Guéhi gets up and it looks like the trainer is happy to let him play on. Yep, he’s good to go.
72 min: Guéhi requires some close medical attention. Thankfully he’s sitting up now but this is taking a while. Not sure whether he’ll be allowed to continue.
70 min: Thorsteinsson cuts in from the left and takes a whack. He really hits it. The ball smacks into Guéhi’s ear and the defender is poleaxed. The trainers rush on to help the stricken player, who lies face down on the turf.
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69 min: Alexander-Arnold chases a long ball down the right and cuts back from the corner flag. Toney meets the ball with a swing but can only clank it over the bar and wide.
67 min: England’s newly fashioned back line is all over the shop, failing to clear lines and allowing Gudmundsson to chest down and shoot. His effort is deflected wide, and from the resulting corner, hit long from the left, Ramsdale comes to claim but back pedals, allowing Ingason to barrel in and … head straight at him. The keeper gets away with a big one there.
65 min: England make a quadruple change. Walker, Trippier, Gordon and Kane make way for Gomez, Saka, Toney and Alexander-Arnold, who gets a big cheer as he comes on. He immediately gets into the action, sending Toney chasing a ball down the right. Toney goes over in the box, but it’s only a corner, not a penalty, and nothing comes of that set piece.
64 min: Thórdarson replaces Anderson.
63 min: Iceland should be two up. Haraldsson is pinged clear down the right wing. He’s got Thorsteinsson in the middle. The ball’s rolled into the middle. Thorsteinsson has to score, but slips on the penalty spot and the ball squirts wide left. What a miss! England so fortunate to get away with their entire defence going AWOL.
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62 min: Kane attempts to turn the Iceland defence on the edge of the D. But Grétarsson and Ingason are not for turning. Kane falls over but while the crowd claim for a free kick, the striker does not.
60 min: Rice, Foden and Gordon combine in an attempt to bundle the ball through the middle of the Icelandic defence. But there’s no way through. Changes are afoot.
58 min: Rice is dispossessed too easily in the centre circle, Haraldsson making off with the ball. He shoots from long range. It’s deflected wide right, and nothing comes of the resulting corner. But for the first time in a while, Iceland are asking a couple of questions of their own.
57 min: A free kick for Iceland on the halfway line. Gudmundsson launches it forward to Thorsteinsson, who chests down for Gudjohnsen to pearl towards the top-right corner. Ramsdale handles well.
55 min: Palmer attempts to turn provider this time, sliding a ball down the right for Walker to chase. Finnsson comes across to clear. England not at their creative best, and on that subject, here’s Bill Preston: “I am very rarely moved to go and single out a sportsperson who excels in their field, but I strongly disagree the omission of Jack Grealish. He has the poise, flair, and the correct balance of thrilling heroics, and being able to get a stomp on to make the England team electrifyingly great. PS: Omission of Grealish is the name of my new band.”
53 min: Palmer’s sprung clear again, this time by Rice. Palmer attempts to round Valdimarsson but the keeper stays upright, pushing him too wide. His shot-cum-dinked-cross is kicked out by the keeper, and nothing comes of the corner. England getting closer and closer, though.
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51 min: Kane drops deep yet again and floats a pass down the left channel for Palmer, who takes a touch to get round Grétarsson on the outside but can only lash a shot into the side netting.
50 min: Gudmundsson has a chance to release Gudjohnsen down the middle but Guéhi intercepts. Just in time. England living on the edge.
48 min: The PA announcer welcomed England back onto the pitch with a lung-bursting scream, while the England bugler parped out a quick verse of the national anthem. But neither got the Wembley crowd going. It might be down to the team, you know. And to this end, Gordon cuts back from the byline to the left of goal, and Foden bobbles a shot wide right. Had that been on target, Valdimarsson wasn’t getting there.
46 min: Gordon whips a cross in from the left, Kane eyebrowing towards the top right. It’s always going harmlessly wide.
Iceland get the second half started. John Stones, who took that knock to the ankle early on, has been replaced by Ezri Konsa. Meanwhile here’s Michael Graham: “England losing to Iceland and David Cameron’s in a high-profile photo op on the world stage. It’s like the last eight years never happened.”
Half-time postbag. “I realise that this is a meaningless friendly, and that there’s still the second half to go, but this Icelander will enjoy the Warm Glow of Nice Memories for at least the next 15 minutes or so” – Kári Tulinius
“Funny you should mention Maguire’s goalscoring. Reading Barney Ronay’s paean to Harry M, I visualised him feasting on Declan’s corners” – Mammillaria Hahniana
“Looking at these lineups, how is it possible that England have not overrun this Iceland side? Kane, Gordon, Palmer, Foden, Rice. How have they not scored?” – Joe Pearson
“On the TV tonight there’s a bunch of English wannabes making a lot of fuss, shouting and pointing, but not really landing any significant blows. Also there is this football match” – Charles Antaki
Half-time reading. RIP Bjarni Fel.
HALF TIME: England 0-1 Iceland
A few boos as England traipse off. Not many, but a few. The country can only fume about so many things at once, and to this end, England are doing their best to take a bit of heat off Rishi Sunak. They’ve not been awful – Anthony Gordon has impressed, and Harry Kane should have scored – but they’ve not been great either.
45 min +1: … Ingason is booked for cynically bringing down Guéhi, who was looking to counter.
45 min: Thorsteinsson dribbles down the left, dashes inside, and cuts back from the byline for Traustason, whose shot from the edge of the box is blocked by Guéhi, and deflected wide left. And from that corner …
44 min: On the left touchline, Gordon brings down a ball that seems to be sailing out of play with a deliciously cushioned touch. He makes his way down the flank and wins a corner. Rice takes, and Valdimarsson claims.
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42 min: Now it’s Foden’s turn to drop deep and quarterback. He tries to release the livewire Gordon down the inside-left channel but Ingason reads the danger and intercepts.
40 min: Gordon makes a bit of space for himself down the left and dinks a cross into the centre. Grétarsson gets in ahead of Kane and heads clear. Gordon has been England’s liveliest attacker so far, though the bar’s not set high.
38 min: Kane drops deep and sprays an elegant long pass wide right for Walker, who finds himself in space, but can only clank his cross over everyone’s head and out for a throw on the other side.
36 min: Say what you like about Harry Maguire, but England are going to miss him at corners. He’s scored seven times for England, a record haul for a defender.
34 min: … Valdimarsson parries it away from danger. England toiling a bit.
33 min: Gordon feeds Palmer on the overlap down the left. Palmer twists, turns and wins a corner. Rice comes over to take it, and …
31 min: Walker tries to find Gordon on the left with a raking diagonal pass. The ball sails out of play. That’s not as easy a skill as Trent Alexander-Arnold made it look against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday night, when he sent that outrageous swerver onto Jack Grealish’s toe.
29 min: Palmer cuts in from the right and whips a cross in for Kane, onside and free, six yards out. Having timed his run perfectly, Kane has to score, but meets the dropping ball with his shin, and it flies wide left and high. You don’t see Kane passing up too many of those types of opportunity, but there we have it.
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27 min: England pass and probe, to little effect. Iceland have everybody lined up on the edge of their box.
25 min: Iceland seem quite happy sitting back and holding their shape. Ingason launches a rare ball upfield but there’s only Gudjohnsen around and Stones heads it back to Ramsdale. Wembley not exactly a cauldron right now.
23 min: Rice shovels a pass down the right. Kane extends a leg in the hope of volleying the ball dropping over his shoulder, but can’t connect properly. The ball squirts out for a goal kick.
21 min: Mainoo slips a pass down the inside-left for Foden, who attempts a first-time spin and shot from ten yards. The ball dribbles harmlessly through to the keeper but Foden thanks his fellow Mancunian for the clever diagonal pass.
20 min: Foden plays a progressive pass down the inside-left channel to … no, there’s nobody there either. England all out of shape at the minute as they react to that goal. On the touchline, Gareth Southgate performs the internationally recognised palms-facing-the-floor mime for Calm Down.
18 min: Valdimarsson dithers with the ball at his feet and is closed down by Rice. The ball breaks to Palmer who chests down and shoots. Grétarsson throws himself in the road and deflects it wide right. Nothing comes of the resulting corner. This game doesn’t feel like it’s going to end 0-1.
16 min: Anderson fancies his chances down the right. England are very fortunate that Trippier reads and intercepts the long ball that would have released him through on goal. Again it’s Gordon putting up some resistance, as he dances down the left and dinks into the middle for … nobody in particular.
14 min: England weren’t expecting that, and look a bit shaky when the game restarts. Anderson piles down the right into acres of space, but can’t find Gudjohnsen in the middle. Kane takes matters into his own hand and launches a counter, releasing Gordon down the left. Gordon sashays into the box but can’t do what Thorsteinsson did moments earlier, flaying a wild effort high and wide right.
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GOAL! England 0-1 Iceland (Thorsteinsson 12)
What a lovely goal this is! Thorsteinsson stuns Wembley by cutting in from the left, discombobulating Stones, and lashing a low drive through the defender’s legs and into the bottom left. That was hit with some zip. He’d been set up by Haraldsson’s storming run down the inside-left channel.
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11 min: Gordon go, go, goes this time, tearing past Bjarkason down the left with great ease. His cross isn’t up to it, though, and easily cleared. But it looks as though he’s got the beating of his man.
10 min: Kane wins the first corner of the evening down the right. Foden sticks it into the mixer. Valdimarsson claims an uncontested ball. This match hasn’t got going yet, and Iceland will be perfectly happy about that.
8 min: Trippier rolls a pass down the left for Gordon and screams “Go! Go! Go!” Gordon doesn’t go, go, go. Trippier fumes a bit. He fancied being fed on the overlap.
6 min: Walker intercepts a pass down the left intended for Thorsteinsson. He passes back to Ramsdale, who wasn’t expecting the ball, and hacks out clumsily. Some early confusion as Ramsdale shakes off the rust.
5 min: Rice attempts to release Palmer down the inside-right channel but the pass is overhit. Valdimarsson claims. “I looked up the career of the Iceland coach Åge Hareide, and it seems that there’s reassuring news for England – the man is not, and has never been, a dentist,” reports Charles Antaki. “Up against someone who is merely an experienced football manager, they might stand a chance.”
3 min: Gordon and Palmer combine down the left and Kane picks up possession on the left-hand edge of the six-yard box. Kane opens his body in an attempt to steer something towards the far side, but he’s quickly swarmed and Iceland clear.
2 min: Stones grapples with Thorsteinsson, the latter landing accidentally on his planted leg. Stones immediately feels his ankle but thankfully gets up again soon enough. For a second, that looked nasty.
1 min: No pitch invaders yet, so that’s a plus point for Wembley’s security team.
England kick off. The atmosphere is polite.
The teams are out! England in white, Iceland blue. Anthems are played. Then hands are shaken. Pennants swapped. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes.
Gareth Southgate speaks to Channel 4 and is asked how close tonight’s XI is to the team he’ll pick for England’s opening Euro 2024 match against Serbia. “Close … but none of that is decided yet … there are players who didn’t play the other night … we were really pleased with the performance in Newcastle and we have to build on that … we wouldn’t have any hesitation in [starting Kobbie Mainoo at the Euros] … we love the way he can receive in tight areas and progress the ball quickly … and he’s strong in the challenge … we’re looking forward to seeing him tonight … we can’t play everyone! … we love [Anthony Gordon]’s mentality and focus … we should get [Bukayo Saka] some minutes later in the game … [Aaron Ramsdale] has been our number two … he’s not had the game time with Arsenal but we still have trust in him.”
Pre-match postbag. “With the population of Iceland now expanded to 377,688, can we just update the country’s most keenly watched footballing stat: that one in every 188,844 islanders has now scored against England at a major tournament? The population was 335,675 on the famous June day in 2016, when every single one of them laughed out loud, making that stat one in every 167,837. So England are making progress in international football” – Justin Kavanagh
“If this matchup needs a catchy moniker, ‘Rice versus Ice’ would do in a pinch. A really desperate pinch” – Peter Oh
Just landed! Barney Ronay says goodbye to Harry Maguire, who left the England camp earlier this week broken of both body and heart.
Retro delights. For those brave enough to relive that evening in Nice …
… and this is what happened the last time the teams met, for those who need cheering up having just been reminded of the above.
Aaron Ramsdale gets a rare start in goal tonight. It’ll be the Arsenal keeper’s fourth cap, and he’s one of a number of players gaining some precious international experience this evening: Kobbie Mainoo and Anthony Gordon win their third caps, Cole Palmer his fourth. Iceland have some Premier League representation in their team, in the shape of Brentford keeper Hákon Valdimarsson and their captain Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson of Burnley.
The teams
England: Ramsdale, Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier, Mainoo, Rice, Palmer, Foden, Gordon, Kane.
Subs: Henderson, Gomez, Gallagher, Toney, Watkins, Alexander-Arnold, Bowen, Eze, Pickford, Wharton, Saka, Quansah, Trafford.
Iceland: Valdimarsson, Bjarkason, Gretarsson, Ingason, Finnsson, Traustason, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Arnar Haraldsson, Gudjohnsen, Thorsteinsson, Anderson.
Subs: Elias Olafsson, Patrik Gunnarsson, Sampsted, Thorarinsson, Brynjar Ingi Bjarnason, Arnor Sigurdsson, Fridriksson, Johannesson, Saevar Magnusson, Hlynsson, Tomasson, Pordarson.
Referee: Davide Massa (Italy).
📋 Tonight's #ThreeLions to face Iceland... pic.twitter.com/aCuX0K22ak
— England (@England) June 7, 2024
👀 Byrjunarliðið gegn Englandi!
— Knattspyrnusambandið (@footballiceland) June 7, 2024
This is how we start our friendly tonight against England!#fyririsland pic.twitter.com/8LeYEyPYuZ
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Preamble
England – now no longer featuring Jarrad Branthwaite, Jack Grealish, Curtis Jones, James Maddison or Harry Maguire – conclude their preparations for Euro 2024 with this friendly against Iceland. The Three Lions have a positive record against the Icelanders, having won three and drawn one of their five previous games; on the other hand, they’ve lost the only one that really mattered, at Euro 2016, the nadir of river-cruise enthusiast Roy Hodgson’s reign. The last meeting was a 4-0 rout at Wembley, in 2020, so most expect Gareth Southgate’s side to sign off ahead of their jaunt to Germany with a similar momentum-building victory; Iceland only just narrowly missed out on Euros qualification, mind, so let’s take nothing for granted. Kick-off is at 7.45pm. It’s on. HÚH!
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