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:
Predicted line-ups
England XI: Ramsdale; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Gomez; Alexander-Arnold, Rice; Saka, Foden, Palmer; Toney.
Iceland XI: Valdimarsson; Sampsted, Ingason, Gretarsson, Thorarinsson; Thorsteinsson, Gudmundsson, Traustason, Haraldsson; Gudjohnsen, Oskarsson.
Mainoo, Wharton, Alexander-Arnold? Solving England’s midfield muddle is a step into the unknown
There have been 77 England matches since Trent Alexander-Arnolddebuted in 2018. If he had played in them all, he would be level on caps already with Terry Butcher, wedged between John Terry and Tom Finney. Instead, he has 24 international appearances to his name, the same as Bert Williams and Paul Madeley.
An attempt to reinvent Alexander-Arnold as a midfielder – first criticised by Jurgen Klopp, then adopted – may have been a consequence of his preference for Kyle Walker and Trippier’s defensive qualities but is a bid to unleash a creator.
It is, though, something of a voyage into uncharted territory for Southgate and Alexander-Arnold alike. The Merseysider missed the March friendlies against Brazil and Belgium with injury – Southgate’s selectorial choices are not the only reason why he has so few caps – and when he scored against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday, it was with a volley that displayed his technical expertise. But only after beginning in midfield and later reverting to right-back.
Alexander-Arnold can play passes others cannot imagine, let alone execute. He can add a dimension. But he is learning on the job. Even the rookies Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton have more positional experience; they are midfielders by trade. The relatively battle-hardened Conor Gallagher has come to seem the safe option. For Alexander-Arnold, the unproven element is whether he can operate as a midfielder in a defining tournament game, whether he has the positional acumen to shield the defence when out of possession.
Solving England’s midfield muddle is a step into the unknown
Gareth Southgate admits he has a dilemma in who to choose alongside Declan Rice in England’s midfield at Euro 2024
The answer to England’s biggest Euro 2024 conundrum? Trent Alexander-Arnold
If you missed Trent Alexander Arnold’s performance on Monday night, picture Marco van Basten volleying the skin off a high ball from a tight angle into the far corner; picture Hakim Ziyech swerving a 60-yard pass onto his teammate’s big toe; picture Lionel Messi’s invisible throughball to slice open Netherlands. Well, Alexander-Arnold did all of that in one night.
Even allowing for a little journalistic hyperbole, and noting that he was up against the plucky but toothless Bosnia and Herzegovina in a friendly, this felt significant.
England’s 3-0 win didn’t tell us much that we didn’t already know. But what it did show was the effect of Alexander-Arnold as a No 6, an intriguing solution to Gareth Southgate’s conundrum of who to play alongside Declan Rice behind England’s preferred No 10, Jude Bellingham.
Deployed there – next to Conor Gallagher with Rice rested – Alexander-Arnold played at a walking pace Andrea Pirlo would be proud of, socks rolled down, using every bevel of his boot to spray passes to far-flung corners of the pitch. For much of the game he stood, scanned and sent the ball as far as his throwing leg could in a performance to be measured not by distance run but yards gained.
The answer to England’s biggest Euro 2024 conundrum? Trent Alexander-Arnold
The Liverpool right-back’s creative display in midfield against Bosnia and Herzegovina illustrated what he could bring to the England team at Euro 2024 after years outside Gareth Southgate’s thinking
Gareth Southgate looks to prize versatility over speciality with Ezri Konsa a big winner for England
With the news of the squad announcement, we can begin to look into the rationale behind Southgate’s decisions, and the potential fixes to his various selection headaches – starting with the back four.
On Monday, Ezri Konsa’s third position of the night was his first-choice role. He ended up at centre-back. He started off at right-back, while the two specialist right-backs in the England side, Kieran Trippier and Trent Alexander-Arnold, played on the left and in midfield respectively. When Konsa went forward at set-pieces, he earned a penalty that Cole Palmer scored, inadvertently denied Jarrod Bowen a goal and instead led to Harry Kane finding the net. And yet the most significant post of Konsa’s evening was another altogether, one where he is rarely seen: left-back.
Simply the fact he moved there indicated an importance in Gareth Southgate’s planning.
With England’s lone bona fide left-back Luke Shaw injured and a doubt for Euro 2024, with Trippier looking the likeliest deputy, Konsa’s odd-job man status against Bosnia and Herzegovina was highly revealing. He could be an emergency left-back in Southgate’s planning. His chances of playing on the right are increased if Trippier and Alexander-Arnold are used elsewhere.
A newcomer has come to look very probable to take up a place in England’s eventual 26-man squad. Joe Gomez may have finished the game at left-back but despite rather more experience in a position he has played, and played well, for much of winter for Liverpool, he looks behind Konsa, another defensive jack of all trades.
Southgate prizes versatility over speciality with Konsa a big winner for England
An eventual win over Bosnia-Herzegovina was not without some concerns for the Three Lions but a handful of players pressed their case for inclusion at Euro 2024
Ask Miguel Delaney anything as Gareth Southgate selects his final 26 man squad for Euro 2024
Miguel Delaney is here to chat tactics and answer your questions after Gareth Southgate named his final England squad
He wans to hear who you think should be on the plane to Germany — and whether you agree with Southgate’s picks. He’ll share his thoughts and theories with you in the comments.
He’s also keen to hear your assessment of Southgate’s tactics and what you make of the team during the match against Iceland.
If you have any thoughts or a question for Miguel, submit them now, or when hes join you live at 7pm on Friday 7 June for the “Ask Me Anything” event.
Ask our chief football writer anything as England’s Euro squad face Iceland
Miguel Delaney is here to chat tactics and answer your questions after Gareth Southgate named his final England squad
The problem facing Jack Grealish as he reaches crossroads after England cull
Gareth Southgate was discussing a ruthless decision to drop a player from a Manchester club ahead of Euro 2024. The rise of other left wingers counted against him. “I feel players in the same area of the pitch have had better seasons, it’s as simple as that,” he said. Two weeks ago, actually, in that it was his explanation for the omission of Marcus Rashford from his 33-man training squad.
It was true up to a point. Jack Grealish was in it and his season was scarcely any more of a triumph than Rashford’s, even if Manchester City were found 31 points above their neighbours in the table. The reprieve lasted a fortnight. When the final cut came, when 33 were reduced to 26, Grealish was culled.
Each may deem himself unlucky in one respect: when England were short of compelling alternatives at left-back, holding midfield and central defence, they were elbowed out when four in-form upstarts forced their way into the squad: Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon, Eberechi Eze and Jarrod Bowen did not quite all come from nowhere but they amounted to a pincer movement, overwhelming the established order of Grealish and Rashford.
But the problem rests with Grealish the footballer. His three seasons at City have been littered with trophies. On a personal level, however, only one – 2022-23 – ranks as a triumph. This year, he only had two brief bursts of form, in December and early April. He finished the campaign as an unused substitute, Jeremy Doku’s dynamism was preferred as the substitute sent on to try and change the FA Cup final.
If it suited City in their treble-winning season that Guardiola had made the maverick Grealish an altogether duller footballer, now it may not benefit anyone.
The problem facing Jack Grealish as he reaches crossroads after England cull
Grealish shockingly missed out on a place in Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad and now must find a solution to his main issue
Gareth Southgate promises ‘different’ England after ruthless Euro 2024 squad decisions
Gareth Southgate has promised a “different” England, with “different strategies”, after picking one of the boldest and youngest squads in both Euro 2024 and the national team’s history. With 12 players picked for their first ever tournament, the manager took the ruthless decision to cut “devastated” Manchester City playmaker Jack Grealish. Southgate admitted this was one of his most difficult tournament squads to pick, especially as it involved letting down so many stalwarts. Harry Maguirealso misses out due to a calf injury, which has only meant further inexperience in defensive positions.
“There’s some disappointment today but there’ll be a lot of excitement about players we’ve selected and to see some of the players who mean we’ve got a different look about us in terms of how we play, and I think people will be captivated by that,” Southgate said, “As I’ve said, I’m trying to conduct myself respectfully because of the players who have gone today. But equally I’m hugely excited about the squad we’ve picked.”
“I spoke to some of the boys last night and some today. As early as we were able to once we had made decisions. Once we had made clear decisions we tried to make those decisions as quickly as we could really.”
Southgate promises ‘different’ England after ruthless Euro 2024 squad decisions
Jack Grealish, James Maddison and Harry Maguire didn’t make the cut as the England boss put an emphasis on youth
England’s Euro 2024 squad: Who’s on the plane and who has missed out?
So after that news, Gareth Southgate will submit the Engand squad for Euro 2024 on Friday night, before its official announcement on Saturday.
The manager has cut a raft of high-profile names, having already axed Marcus Rashford, Jordan Henderson and Ben Chilwell from his training squad.
Emerging talent such as Adam Wharton, his Crystal Palace teammate Eberechi Eze and Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon are all set to make the final squad.
England beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0 St James’ Park on Monday, and will play Iceland at Wembley on Friday in their last warm-up before the tournament. The squad must be submitted to Uefa by midnight after the game, before the Football Association announces the 26 who made the cut for the European Championship in Germany the following day.
Southgate’s side are one of the favourites to lift the trophy on 14 July, given their recent record in major tournaments and the outstanding formof their attacking players this season including Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden.
Below is a closer look at who is heading to the Euros, and who has missed out.
England’s Euro 2024 squad: Who’s on the plane and who has missed out?
A closer look at which England players are heading to Germany for Euro 2024 and who is missing out on the final squad
Gareth Southgate explains reasons for Jack Grealish and James Maddison’s England squad omissions
Addressing the squad announcement at a press conference, Southgate said the reason Grealish and Maddison had not been included was because other players had better seasons.
“All the players took the news really respectfully,” said Southgate, “Of course, all players will believe they should be in and that’s why they are top players.
“They have that self-belief and mindset, but the fact is we have some players who have been playing extremely well all season in the league.
“We just feel other players had stronger seasons, particularly in the last six months or so. Attacking areas, in particular, we’re blessed with a lot of options, all slightly different.
“Madders and Jack both give us something different as well. They’ve been tough calls, calls that we as a group have gone over and over and over. We back our decisions, but recognise we could have gone a different route.”
Southgate explains reasons for dropping Grealish and Maddison from England squad
The midfielders were two of seven players left out as England’s 26-player Euro 2024 squad was revealed
Jack Grealish, Harry Maguire and James Maddison cut from England Euro 2024 squad
The big news from the last few days is that Jack Grealish and James Maddison have missed the cut for England’s Euro 2024 squad, with the long-serving Harry Maguire failing in his battle to be fit for Germany.
Gareth Southgate named an initial 33-man training squad that needed trimming to 26 players by 11pm on Friday, just over an hour after the final friendly against Iceland finishes.
But rather than wait until Uefa’s deadline, the England boss decided to announce the final cut on the eve of the Wembley send-off.
Grealish, Maguire and Maddison cut from final England Euro 2024 squad
James Trafford, Jarell Quansah, Jarrad Branthwaite and Curtis Jones are the other players left out of Gareth Southgate’s initial 33-man group
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