Match Report: England 0-1 Iceland
- J. Þorsteinsson (12′)
- S. Ingason (46′)
- H. Haraldsson (79′)
- K. Finnsson (81′)
Highlights: England 0-1 Iceland
Watch the best of the action from Wembley as Three Lions suffer defeat
The Three Lions suffer defeat at Wembley in their final game before EURO 2024
England v Iceland
Men's International Match
7.45pm BST, Friday 7 June 2024
Wembley Stadium connected by EE
Iceland in profile
Nickname: Our Boys
Coach: Age Hareide
Captain: Aron Gunnarsson
UEFA EURO best performance: Quarter-finals (206)
Match Stats
● England have won their last two matches against Iceland, both in the UEFA Nations League in September and November 2020. On home soil, England have won both games against them by an aggregate score of 10-1.
● Iceland’s only previous victory in five attempts against England (D1 L3) came in a famous 2-1 victory at EURO 2016, coming from 1-0 down to win 2-1 and eliminate the Three Lions.
● This is England’s final game before they start their European Championship campaign against Serbia on 16 June. The Three Lions haven’t lost their final match before any of their last 20 major tournaments (W15 D5) since a 1-0 defeat at Germany ahead of EURO 1968.
● Iceland have won three of their last four international matches (L1), as many as in their previous 17 games combined (W3 D5 L9).
● England are unbeaten in all eleven of their international matches against fellow European nations (W8 D3) since losing 2-1 to France in the quarter-final of the 2022 World Cup.
● 20-year-old Adam Wharton completed all 36 of his passes on his England debut against Bosnia & Herzegovina last time out – he is the only midfielder to attempt 30+ passes on his debut for the Three Lions and have a 100% accuracy since Opta has detailed passing data (August 2008 onwards).
● Harry Kane has scored 12 goals in his last 12 international matches for England – against Bosnia & Herzegovina, he netted his fifth goal in 13 appearances as a substitute for the national side, with only Jermain Defoe scoring more as a sub (seven in 35 apps).
● Gareth Southgate has handed debuts to 66 different players as England manager, with Adam Wharton and Jarrad Branthwaite taking him ahead of Sir Bobby Robson (64 debuts). It’s the most by an England boss since Sir Alf Ramsey handed 82 debuts in his time in charge.
Last time out: England 4-0 Iceland
The last time we met at Wembley was in the UEFA Nations League in 2020
Head to head
The Three Lions have played Iceland at men's senior level on six occasions, registering four wins and drawing and losing once. The first meeting came in 1982 when the nations met in an international in Reykvavik which ended 1-1 after Paul Goddard scored a second-half equaliser under Ron Greenwood.
Perhaps the most famous of our games came at UEFA EURO 2016, when Iceland knocked the Three Lions out of the competition in France thanks to a 2-1 win in Nice.
Last three meetings v Iceland
England 4-0 Iceland, UEFA Nations League, 18 November 2020
There were first England goals for Phil Foden along with strikes from Declan Rice and Mason Mount in this UEFA Nations League clash at Wembley as the Three Lions ended their campaign with victory.
Iceland 0-1 England, UEFA Nations League, 5 September 2020
It took a last-minute penalty from Raheem Sterling to settle this game in Reykjavik, in what was the opening game of the 2021 UEFA Nations League.
England 1-2 Iceland, UEFA EURO 2016 round of 16, 27June 2016
A day to forget for the Three Lions, as they exited the EUROs at the first knockout stage in Nice in what proved to be Roy Hodgson's last game in charge.
From the archive: England 6-1 Iceland
A look back at our friendly game in 2004 when the nations met in Manchester ahead of EURO 2004
England Squad News
Ticket Information
How to watch or stream
This game will be shown live on Channel 4 in the UK.
Gareth Southgate has named his team to face Iceland at Wembley in the Three Lions' final warm-up game ahead of the EUROs.
Harry Kane returns to the starting XI as captain, while Aaron Ramsdale takes the gloves. FA Cup finalists Kyle Walker, John Stones, Kobbie Mainoo and Phil Foden all start, with Mainoo making just his third senior international appearance.
England: 1 Aaron Ramsdale, 2 Kyle Walker, 3 Kieran Trippier, 4 Declan Rice, 5 John Stones, 6 Marc Guehi, 7 Cole Palmer, 8 Kobbie Mainoo, 9 Harry Kane (C), 10 Phil Foden, 11 Anthony Gordon
Substitutes: 12 Joe Gomez, 13 Dean Henderson, 14 Jarell Quansah, 15 Ezri Konsa, 16 Conor Gallagher, 17 Ivan Toney, 18 Ollie Watkins, 19 Trent Alexander-Arnold, 20 Jarrod Bowen, 21 Eberechi Eze, 22 Jordan Pickford, 23 Adam Wharton, 24 James Trafford, 25 Bukayo Saka
Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson’s first-half strike fired Iceland to a 1-0 win over England at Wembley.
In their last match before UEFA EURO 2024, the Three Lions had most of the play but failed to find a cutting edge.
Cole Palmer, Harry Kane and Phil Foden all came close for England but there was no way through the Icelandic defence on Friday night in the capital.
Thorsteinsson clinically took his chance early in the first half to give Iceland the lead, and the visitors saw the game out to take victory.
Gareth Southgate’s men will now travel to Germany ahead of EURO 2024, where they open their campaign against Serbia on Sunday 16 June.
The Three Lions started on the front foot and dominated the opening ten minutes without troubling Hakon Rafn Valdimarsson in the Iceland goal.
Anthony Gordon created the best opportunity in the opening stages as he beat two defenders on a mazy dribble but the winger could not find another white shirt with his cross.
Instead it was Iceland who found a sight of goal from which they took the lead after 12 minutes.
Hakon Arnar Haraldsson drove down the pitch unmarked after being released over the halfway line before he found Thorsteinsson, who cut inside and fired past Aaron Ramsdale.
England looked to hit back immediately and almost did so through Gordon after the winger was played in behind by excellent work from Harry Kane to turn his man in the centre circle, but Gordon’s shot was high and wide.
Palmer was the next to have a sight of goal after good pressure from Declan Rice forced Iceland ‘keeper Valdimarsson to scuff a clearance but Palmer’s shot was deflected wide.
The best chance of the half then fell to Kane just before the half hour mark, as the striker fired over from close range inside the box from a Palmer cross following patient build-up from the Three Lions.
Iceland almost doubled their lead as half time approached, with only a brave block from Marc Guehi getting in the way of a rasping drive from Arnor Ingvi Traustason.
England started quickly after the restart, Kane flicking a header just wide inside a minute from a Gordon cross before Phil Foden curled an effort just wide of the post minutes later.
Palmer then had the next in a flurry of early England chances, as he latched onto a superb through ball from Kane but his shot was fired into the side netting from a tight angle.
Palmer was played through again minutes later, running onto a pass from Rice, but the attacker was shepherded wide of the target by the onrushing Valdimarsson.
The visitors then had a gilt-edged chance to grab another as Haraldsson broke in behind the England defence and squared to Thorsteinsson, who lost his footing at the crucial moment.
Southgate made four changes just after the hour and two combined for another chance, as Trent Alexander-Arnold raced down the right and crossed for Ivan Toney in the box, whose shot was just wide.
Ramsdale was then forced into action for the first time in the second half to push a looping effort from distance over the bar.
Alexander-Arnold and Toney combined again as the former whipped in a dangerous free-kick which the latter narrowly headed off target.
England continued to push for an equaliser, Kobbie Mainoo the next to come close as he curled an effort from the edge of the box just wide of the post.
As the clock ticked into stoppage time, Alexander-Arnold came inches away from an equaliser when his cross was deflected just wide of the post before Joe Gomez’s strike from outside of the box was off target.
Full-time at @wembleystadium. pic.twitter.com/l66lOgFUd2
— England (@England) June 7, 2024
England: 1 Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal), 2 Kyle Walker (Manchester City), 3 Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), 4 Declan Rice (Arsenal), 5 John Stones (Manchester City), 6 Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), 7 Cole Palmer (Chelsea), 8 Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), 9 Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), 10 Phil Foden (Manchester City), 11 Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United)
Substitutes: 15 Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa) for Stones 46’, 19 Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) for Walker 64’, 12 Joe Gomez (Liverpool) for Trippier 64’, 17 Ivan Toney (Brentford) for Kane 64’, 25 Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) for Gordon 64’, 21 Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace) for Palmer 77’
Subs not used: 13 Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), 14 Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), 16 Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), 18 Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), 20 Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), 22 Jordan Pickford (Everton), 23 Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace), 24 James Trafford (Burnley)
Goals:
Yellow Cards:
Coach: Gareth Southgate
Iceland: 12 Hakon Rafn Valdimarsson, 5 Sverrir Ingason, 6 Daniel Leo Gretarsson, 7 Johann Gudmundsson, 9 Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson, 10 Hakon Arnar Haraldsson, 14 Kolbeinn Finnsson, 15 Bjarki Steinn Bjarkason, 18 Mikael Anderson, 21 Arnor Ingvi Trautason, 22 Andri Gudjohnsen
Substitutes: 16 Stefan Teitur Thordarson for Anderson 64’, 19 Isak Bergmann Johannesson for Haraldsson 83’, 8 Arnor Sigurdsson for Gudmundsson 83’, 17 Valgeir Fridriksson for Thorsteinsson 90’
Subs not used: 1 Elias Rafn Olafsson, 2 Alfons Sampsted, 3 Gudmundur Thorarinsson, 4 Brynjar Ingi Bjarnason, 11 Logi Tomasson, 20 Saevar Atli Magnusson, 23 Kristian Hlynsson
Goals: Thorsteinsson 12’
Yellow Cards: Ingason, Haraldsson, Finnsson
Coach: Age Fridtjof Hareide
