England vs Iceland LIVE: Result and reaction as Jon Thorsteinsson goal gives visitors memorable win
Gareth Southgate’s men play their final game ahead of this summer’s tournament, which begins with a fixture against Serbia on 16 June
England were beaten 1-0 by Iceland in their final warm-up game ahead of Euro 2024. With Gareth Southgate naming his 26-man squad on Thursday there was a feeling of anticipation ahead of the clash at Wembley to see what the Three Lions’ younger players could produce.
The answer wasn’t much. Cole Palmer, starting on the right side alongside Harry Kane and Anthony Gordon, was a livewire in the early stages but Iceland were the ones to open the scoring. A sharp move from Hakon Arnar Haraldsson in midfield saw the ball slipped through to Jon Thorsteinsson who cut inside and drilled a low shot through the legs of John Stones to beat second-choice goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale at the near post.
That goal shocked Wembley and England who looked to respond. Harry Kane fired over the bar, Phil Foden slotted an effort wide and Palmer messed up a one-on-one. There was a lack of ruthlessness and creativity in the final third.
Gareth Southgate’s men head to Germany on the back of a defeat which he’ll hope will spur them on to better things come the start of the tournament.
Relive the action below:
England 0-1 Iceland
31 mins: First Gordon and now Trippier. Both are caught offside as they try to provide width down the left.
England 0-1 Iceland
28 mins: CLOSE!Lovely from England. Rice collects on the edge of the box and spreads it to Palmer on the right. The Chelsea man cuts back inside and clips an inch-perfect ball into Kane, who’s around six yards out, but the captain makes contact with his shin and fires the volley over the bar!
England 0-1 Iceland
26 mins: Guehi does really well to win the high ball as he’s being dragged down, and England have it once again. An exercise in patience here at the moment.
England 0-1 Iceland
24 mins: England are just keeping possession at the moment, probing but not yet trying to force a way through the Iceland defence. Even Declan Rice is getting plenty of the ball near the edge of the box.
England 0-1 Iceland
22 mins: Nice idea from England, with Rice collecting the ball outside the box and trying to chip a through ball into Kane, but the Bayern striker just misses getting his foot onto the end of it.
England 0-1 Iceland
21 mins: Mainoo slips through a pass to Foden, who’d made the diagonal run into the box, but the City man can only poke his shot straight at the ‘keeper.
England 0-1 Iceland
19 mins: Harry Kane does well to slide in and win possession, and England recycle it back to Guehi.
England lose it soon after though, with Gordon and Foden not on the same wavelength as the City man tried to thread a pass through.
England 0-1 Iceland
16 mins: CLOSE! A good opportunity for England.
Iceland pass it back towards Valdimarsson in goal. He takes his time with the clearance and Rice charges him down, and the Iceland ‘keeper can only clear as far as Cole Palmer in the box. The Chelsea man takes it down on his chest and volleys towards goal, but Traustason blocks it.
England 0-1 Iceland
14 mins: England go in search of the instant equaliser, and Gordon cuts inside in a similar way to Thorsteinsson, but he fires his shot over the bar.
GOAL! England 0-1 Iceland
12 mins: GOAL! And Iceland lead from nowhere!
Haraldsson collects it in midfield and surges towards the England box. He plays it on to Thorsteinsson, who cuts back inside and hits a shot towards the near post. It goes through the legs of John Stones and beats Ramsdale low to his right!
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