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England national football team
European Championship | Round of 16
Jun 27, 2016 at 8pm UK
 
Iceland national football team

1-2

Rooney (4' pen.)
FT(HT: 1-2)

Live Commentary: England 1-2 Iceland - as it happened

Relive Sports Mole's live text coverage of Iceland's 2-1 win over England, as the Three Lions suffered a shock last-16 defeat to the minnows.
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Iceland pulled off the biggest result in their history as they defeated England 2-1 at the Stade de Nice to book a Euro 2016 quarter-final place.

The Nordic nation, competing in their first major tournament and with a population of just 323,000 people, found themselves behind early on when Wayne Rooney converted from the spot.

Ragnar Sigurdsson levelled things up 34 seconds later with a volley from close range, though, before Kolbeinn Sigthorsson added a second in the first half to pave the way for an historic result.

Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded in Nice with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.


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Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live Euro 2016 coverage of the last-16 showdown between England and Iceland at the Stade de Nice in South-East France. The Three Lions were made to pay for their profligacy earlier in the tournament as a goalless draw with Slovakia saw them finish second in Group B behind Wales. A far tougher run through to the final now awaits, but first they have what is a favourable tie against the tournament minnows this evening.

We already know six of the eight quarter-finalists of this year's European Championship finals, with either Spain or Italy joining England or Iceland in the business end of the tournament. Poland, Portugal, Wales, Belgium, Germany and France can all put their feet up and relax for the time being, having done enough to get past this round-of-16 stage over the weekend. This really is do-or-die stuff for the Three Lions now, with any mistake proving fatal in the knockout stages.

As ever when it comes to an international knockout stage fixture involving England, there has been plenty of talk about what team the manager will go with. There is no denying that the Three Lions are massive favourites to progress through this evening, knowing that anything less than a fairly comfortable victory in normal time will see more questions asked of manager Roy Hodgson and his coaching staff. Reports overnight suggest that Raheem Sterling, so ineffective so far in France, will be given the nod alongside Daniel Sturridge and Harry Kane in attack.

That may seem a little surprising but, with Adam Lallana seemingly picking up a minor injury in training earlier this week, and Iceland's full-back zone hardly the strongest position on the field, Hodgson is clearly looking to get his pacey players high up both flanks to send balls into the box. Kane has yet to get off the mark at the Euros, leading to the Tottenham man being omitted against Slovakia, though he is almost certain to be chosen through the middle tonight in his third tournament start.

Hodgson may not have found a settled XI quite yet, but it seems likely that Wayne Rooney, Dele Alli and Eric Dier will be the men to make up the three-man midfield - the latter of whom will be asked to sit deep and protect the defence should the Three Lions be left exposed at any point. Iceland may see their attacking play restricted across the 90 minutes, but some patient play could lead to the odd chances arising which they simply must make the most of if they are to pull off an upset in Nice.

Hodgson came in for some real criticism for heavily rotating his squad ahead of that Slovakia game, but the England boss has argued that the changes did not exactly backfire. He has a point, too, as he opted to remain with the attacking unit that helped rescue all three points against Wales while also bringing in some fresh legs at full-back, utilising his full squad. Jordan Henderson also impressed at times in Saint-Etienne, but the Three Lions will surely bring both Danny Rose and Kyle Walker back into the fold along with Alli in the middle. Walker needs to pick up from where he left off, knowing that gaps can pop up down the Iceland right at times.

Iceland have a couple of familiar names, meanwhile, with Gylfi Sigurdsson in particular someone who will be well known to Premier League audiences. If reports are to be believed, then the midfield maestro could be on his way to champions Leicester City this summer, having impressed in a largely poor Swansea City side last time out. Aron Gunnarsson is another who needs little introduction thanks to his stints at Coventry City and Cardiff City, with Wales boss Chris Coleman credited for giving him his big break in English football while at the Ricoh Arena.

While Sigurdsson has the ability to pick a defence open and fire in the odd cracker from range, Gunnarsson takes up a different role entirely in this team - a more defensive-minded option for Lagerback and Hallgrimsson to turn to. The Cardiff man is not a dirty player, as such, but one who can help to break up play and spring attacks from deep. It is his long throw that could cause particular problems to the English backline, though, as we have already witnessed at this summer's Euros. Packing the middle of the park will be key this evening; Gunnarsson in particular needing to be at his best to disrupt the Three Lions' flow.

Iceland have a few familiar names among their ranks, including Swansea City midfield ace Gylfi Sigurdsson. The Nordic nation have named the same starting XI in all three fixtures at Euro 2016 thus far, while also using just 17 players all through their qualifying campaign. It is a different matter for England, who have looked to rotate and arguably chopped and changed too much as they stuttered to second place in Group B.

Gylfi Sigurdsson celebrates after scoring during the Euro 2016 Group F match between Iceland and Hungary on July 18, 2016© Getty Images


Hodgson has placed just a tad more pressure on his shoulders after taking that decision to rest half his squad for the Slovakia match, then, but the one point that seems to have gone under the radar is the amount of rest those players have now been given. For the six men left out for that final group-stage fixture, including star Euros performer Kyle Walker, they have now been twiddling their thumbs for the past 11 days. Is that simply too long without a run-out? England will certainly not be lacking energy tonight, aiming to put on a show in a match that they are expected to win emphatically.

In terms of England's tournament to date, they have certainly performed well enough without getting the results. Hodgson, who will surely be sacked should he fail to guide his side to victory tonight, has argued repeatedly that he has been delighted by what he has seen in terms of his teams' displays. "Domination" is the word that has been used a couple of times by the Three Lions boss; something he says is a positive for an England side so often second best on the possession front in past tournaments. Producing good, solid performances is one thing; picking up maximum points and finishing top of the group is another.

The failure to pick up maximum points against Slovakia, having also been held by Russia in their opener, means that England must now overcome France in the quarters should they indeed make it to that stage. The tournament hosts have hardly set their home tournament alight, in truth, but it is a match the Three Lions would clearly have liked to have avoided. Spain, Italy or Germany then await in the final four. Wales, meanwhile, who overcome Northern Ireland at the weekend, face a better-looking route to the final with Belgium, and then Portugal or Poland, in their half of the draw.

DID YOU KNOW? A pretty incredible statistic, this. England have won just six knockout stage fixtures in the past 50 years, only three of which have come in normal time. In chronological order - Paraguay (1986), Belgium (1990), Cameroon (1990), Spain (1996), Denmark (2002), Ecuador (2006). With this being the Three Lions' youngest tournament side, it comes as little surprise to note that skipper Wayne Rooney is the only survivor from that last victory on the list against Ecuador in Germany.

It begs the question, really - is this England side too young and inexperienced? Well this group of players certainly seems to be hungry, as evidenced with the celebrations late on against Wales in a dramatic 2-1 victory in Lens a fortnight ago. That was a rare highlight thus far in France for supporters, but even that afternoon looked to be ending in a frustrating manner for large parts. A big roll of the dice from Hodgson at the interval to make a double change, something which he was near enough forced into, proved to be enough in the end to pick up their only maximum-point haul in Group B.

England also performed solidly enough against Russia for three quarters of the match, dominating possession and finally making a breakthrough before sitting off for the remainder. That, arguably, was the only big error made by Hodgson at the tournament so far. Instead of making a positive change and continuing to pressure a poor Russia side - arguably the worst side in the competition on reflection - the Three Lions allowed the momentum to just about swing in the other direction for a cruel late twist. The Slovakia game was a mirror reflection, albeit with less entertainment in terms of goal-scoring action.

Roy Hodgson admitted in his pre-match press conference that he was "concerned" about his side's profligacy in front of goal in their last outing, while skipper Wayne Rooney also confessed that the Three Lions' wasteful nature will cost them a place in the quarter-finals should their past display be repeated tonight. Goals are quite simply a must for England, with a comfortable victory expected by the vast majority of those in attendance.

Eric Dier celebrates scoring during the Euro 2016 Group B game between England and Russia on June 11, 2016© Getty Images


ENGLAND TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Hart; Walker, Smalling, Cahill, Rose; Dier, Alli, Rooney; Sterling, Sturridge, Kane

SUBS: Milner, Lallana, Vardy, Clyne, Forster, Henderson, Stones, Wilshere, Barkley, Bertrand, Rashford, Heaton


Hodgson has released his team sheet earlier than expected, but there are no real surprises from what we have already learned over the past 24 hours. It had been widely reported that Raheem Sterling would be among those to earn a recall to the starting lineup, despite some real underwhelming performances so far, with Daniel Sturridge starting on the opposite flank in a three-man attack spearheaded by Harry Kane - another player looking to really kick-start his tournament this evening.

Six changes are made by Hodgson in all, bringing this side back in line with the one that faced off against Wales. Kyle Walker and Danny Rose are back in at full-back, two players who will likely prove key for the Three Lions this evening in getting high up the pitch, while Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill have another chance to strengthen their connection in the heart of defence. Eric Dier sits deep in midfield, behind Wayne Rooney and Dele Alli.

Substitutions have been a key feature of this tentative tournament, with players coming off the bench to score late goals, but surely - surely! - England will have their head above water come the hour mark when the alterations tend to be made. Should they be chasing a goal, Jamie Vardy is the obvious man to turn to, while Marcus Rashford and Adam Lallana are other attacking options. Ross Barkley, yet to be used at the Euros, may get a chance to impress as the game wares on.

RESULT! Italy have gained revenge on Spain by picking up a 2-0 victory in today's other last-16 tie. It was a deserved victory for the Azzurri, beaten 4-0 by the same opposition in the 2012 final, sealed by Graziano Pelle's late strike to add to Giorgio Chiellini's first-half opener. So the back-to-back champions of the tournament are out, and Italy now await one of these two sides later down the line should they first overcome France.

We are still awaiting the confirmed Iceland starting lineup, but before switching attention to some more team news let us first learn a little more about the Nordic country. You may have read over the past few days about the complete mismatch in size between tonight's two opponents - England boasting a population of 54,300,000 compared to Iceland's 333,000. That is roughly around the same size as Leicester, which just goes some more to highlighting the achievement to not only make it to these finals but to also finish above Portugal and progress in second place.

ICELAND TEAM NEWS!

STARTING XI: Halldorsson, Saevarsson, Arnason, Sigurdsson, Skulason, Gudmundsson, Sigurdsson, Gunnarsson, Bjarnason, Sigthorsson, Bodvarsson

SUBS: Kristinsson, Hauksson, Hermannsson, Ingason, Finnbogason, Sigurjonsson, Theodor Elmar Bjarnason, Magnusson, Hallfredsson, Traustason, Gudjohnsen, Jonsson


The two players picked out a littler earlier, Swansea's Sigurdsson and Cardiff's Gunnarsson, both start for Iceland this evening. Kolbeinn Sigthorsson is also handed a berth in attack and, despite jcoring sust three goals in 28 Ligue 1 games last season for Nantes, his aerial threat could cause problems from Gunnarsson's well-noted long-throws. No player in the tournament has won more headers than Sigthorsson, in fact, so Smalling and Cahill could be in for a busy evening.

Hannes Halldorsson is the man tasked with keeping out England's attacking players as the Nordic outfit's last line of defence. The Icelandic stopper has apparently faced 24 penalties since 2011, saving nine and seeing five missed - England beware! The jointly-managed side may know how to remain compact, but that is not to say teams have not managed to get in behind and expose the backline. Halldorsson has had to keep out a high number of strikes thus far, while the full-backs are also prone to being caught out.

Raheem Sterling, or 'The Hated One' as he called himself recently, has been given a reprieve by Hodgson. Plenty of attacking options to choose from, but the Three Lions boss has once more opted to go with the Manchester City youngster despite his poor campaign to date. Kane has not fared much better, but he too is given another chance to impress ahead of the benched Jamie Vardy.

Chris Gunter and Raheem Sterling during the Euro 2016 Group B game between England and Wales on June 16, 2016© AFP


PREVIOUS MEETINGS! These two sides have faced off on just two previous occasions prior to this evening, producing a total of nine goals in those games. Seven of those came in the last meeting, as England ran out 6-1 winners in Manchester in a Euro 2004 warm-up friendly. Iceland's players were told on that afternoon to not dare tackle their opponents, but they fared better in 1982 when claiming a 1-1 draw in another international friendly affair.

Iceland may be the underdogs this evening, but it is worth pointing out that they are not minnows in the same sense as San Marino, Gibraltar or Andorra. The Nordics have proved their doubters wrong; first to finish above Turkey and the Netherlands in qualifying, beating the Dutch both home and away, before keeping their dream alive by finishing second in Group F in France. That has set up their first ever knockout-stage fixture of any note on the big stage - one that I am sure they will relish and not, to use a poor pun, freeze when under the spotlight.

Managed jointly by Lars Lagerback and Heimir Hallgrimsson, the world's 34th-ranked side made it to the Euros as the smallest ever nation to compete in the competition. They are actually unbeaten so far, however, with two draws and a memorable win over Austria - you may have heard the local commentary that has done the rounds - enough to see them finish above Portugal but below Hungary. Iceland have lost just one of their last nine matches, in fact - a 3-2 defeat to Norway in a pre-Euros warm-up fixture earlier this month.

A 1-1 draw with Portugal in their Group F opener, not least the qualifying double over an admittedly poor-performing Netherlands side, goes a long way to showing that this side can indeed trouble the best that Europe can offer. Cristiano Ronaldo was left unhappy by the way in which Iceland went about taking a point from that first fixture but, as many players rightly argued afterwards, you can hardly expect them to go out all guns blazing against a superior opponent.

That point against Portugal certainly provided hope that Iceland could, at the very least, take a best third-place spot to progress through. That looked to be their minimum target when leading 1-0 against eventual group winners Hungary until late on, but a cruel own goal saw them miss out on maximum points. Their first ever win in the Euros did arrive against Austria, though, with a goal in the dying seconds changing the whole complexion of the tournament as England breathed a sigh of relief to dodge Portugal in the round of 16.

REFEREE WATCH! Incidentally, the man in the middle this evening is Slovenian official Damir Skomina, who has come under fire from Jose Mourinho in the past for supposedly lacking a backbone. These are views that are echoed by former Premier League referee Mark Halsey, who himself claimed today that Skomina shies away from big calls in matches and lacks consistency. Could that leniency have a say on tonight's game? It certainly cost Switzerland last week, as they were denied what looked to be a penalty by the same official.

Roy Hodgson, pictured here with assistant coaches Ray Lewington and Gary Neville, knows that anything less than a victory this evening will surely cost him his job. It remains to be seen exactly what quantifies as success for the Football Association, but there remains no doubt that the England manager's position is under the spotlight in this his third major tournament at the helm.

England manager Roy Hodgson speaks with his assistant coaches Ray Lewington and Gary Neville prior to kickoff against Russia on June 11, 2016© Getty Images


With kickoff now a little over 20 minutes away, let us check out some of the pre-match thoughts from both camps.

Roy Hodgson: "Monday's result will be significant [for me], but most of all for the team and the country. We want to stay in the tournament, we're good enough, but we must get results and that starts tomorrow. I've been happy with the strikers I've gone with. You never know how someone is going to play, but you do know what you're selecting.

"You see them in training and you try to choose the best possible players for that game. I'm fortunate that if something isn't functioning as I would like, we have options on the bench The experience and wisdom of Lars and Roland Andersson and their ability to organise a team and get the maximum out of them, and to engender a work ethic, they owe a lot to that.

Lars Lagerback: "I would expect England to have more possession, but you never know. It's very hot. It may depend on the temperature how the match develops. We'll see if we can step up a bit when it comes to that part of the game. We've practised penalties - some were good, some not so good. I've known Roy since 1976 and we met each other often in Sweden.

"We've been in contact now and then for many years, although not as much in recent times when we've been around the world. The starting XI [from the Austria match] have had three days to reload physically and mentally. They are looking forward to the game and in the team meetings we've started to focus more and more on taking another step."


So Hodgson admitting in his pre-match press conference that his side simply must turn good performances into results. The bottom line is this: England have produced much better displays this time around compared to recent tournaments, taking games to their opponents rather than sitting back and hoping for the best, yet supporters will not accept that should an early exit follow. Finishing second in Group B was bad enough for some, setting up this horror run to the final should they progress tonight, but Hodgson believes that his side are close to finally clicking into gear.

You also get a sense from those Hodgson comments that he has a lot of respect for opposite number Lagerback, who was quick to remind reporters as soon as this game was set up that he remains unbeaten against the Three Lions as a manager. You have to wonder how drained this unchanged team must be, though, with the same 11 players being used now in all four fixtures. The temperature could also have a big say this evening, as Lagerback himself touched upon, with 69% humidity inside the Stade de Nice this evening.

PREDICTION! Not many will be backing Iceland's players to pull off the biggest win of their lives tonight, but Lagerback and Hallgrimsson will be quietly confident that they can set their side up to stifle England in much the same way that Slovakia and, for large parts, Russia did. The key is just how long, if at all, the three Lions take to break their opponents down. The longer the game remains goalless, the more confidence the Nordic outfit will have of claiming another scalp. I'm going with a 2-0 win for Hodgson's charges in Nice.

The England fans have been enjoying themselves around the streets of Nice all day, incidentally, even being joined by heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury. Anyone who has been lucky enough to take in some of the tournament out in France will know that - Marseille and some secluded incidents elsewhere aside - it has been a real belter. The Three Lions supporters really have travelled to the south coast in their numbers, expecting their side to finally get things right on the field in an attacking sense.

Both sets of players will soon be making their way out on to the field of play. We will first half the pre-match ceremony, as witnessed before every fixture at Euro 2016, which is basically a rendition of all 5,000 David Guetta tracks thrown back-to-back - whatever floats your boat! The national anthems of both sides will follow, and finally we will get up and running in the beautiful Nice sunshine.

It is worth mentioning, as the two sets of players line up for the pre-match anthems, that we now know seven of the eight quarter-finalists. Poland will face Portugal, Wales will face Belgium, Germany will take on Italy and France await to see whether they will tackle England or Iceland for a place in the final four. This is a first taste of international knockout football for many of these Three Lions players - how will they handle the pressure that comes with it?

Hope you are all ready for another late night, if the stat below is anything to go by. England have, incredibly, won just six fixtures at the knockout stage of a competition in the past 50 years, so this is a real opportunity to make it seven in front of a packed Stade de Nice.



KICKOFF! Only 268 households in the whole of Iceland did not tune in for their group-stage meeting with Austria, apparently, and it seems as though the whole nation is here tonight! Plenty of England fans inside the stadium, too, belting out the national anthem with real gusto as we get underway in Nice.

Walker makes his first foray into an advanced position down the right - one of the key aspects of this game, you feel - but his cross is cut out by Gunnarsson. England desperate for an early goal here, having been made to do things the hard way so far during their Euros campaign.

Sturridge sends the game's first shot well wide of the target, perhaps just trying to find his range early on. Alli found plenty of grass ahead of him as he charged forward and even picked out Sterling, but the Man City youngster took too long to shoot and eventually saw it blocked away.

PENALTY TO ENGLAND! Great start for the Three Lions, who have a penalty with around four minutes on the clock. Sterling has made a bright start and, after getting on the end of a chipped ball over the top, he went down under a challenge from goalkeeper Hannes Haldorsson to earn his side a pen.

GOAL! ENGLAND 1-0 ICELAND (WAYNE ROONEY, PEN)

Wayne Rooney makes no mistake from the spot, sending his penalty into the bottom corner to give England the dream start in Nice. Now, what can Iceland do in response? They will need to come out of their shells for the remainder.

GOAL! ENGLAND 1-1 ICELAND (RAGNAR SIGURDSSON)

Hands up - who saw that coming?! Thirty-four seconds after England opened the scoring from the spot, Iceland are up the other end and levelling things up. It was a perfect start for the Three Lions, the start that they would have dreamed of, but a long throw from Gunnarsson was flicked on by Arnason and Ragnar Sigurdsson volleyed home from close range.

And breath! What a frenetic start to this match at the Stade de Nice. Two goals inside the opening six minutes and pretty much non-stop attacking action since from both sides. All the pressure now on England to edge themselves back ahead.

England enjoying far more space down the middle than expected but, on the flip side, Iceland offering an attacking threat than many did not think we would see. A real open match overall, although the Three Lions are well on top at the moment as they look to bag their second.

SHOT! Rooney shifting out onto the right-hand side to offer Walker some support, but three blue shirts do well to deny England any opening from a wide position. Hodgson's men do win themselves another corner, which is headed into the air and eventually cleared away for Alli to blast inches over.

Sturridge played into absolute acres of space down the right, but when cutting inside he is thwarted by his opponent and Iceland survive. The Nordic nation not doing all that well in terms of restricting their opponents space, but so far it has not mattered all that much.

Kane creates some space for himself 20 yards out but can only smash the ball over the bar. Iceland will be more than happy with that; denying the Spurs man the chance to slip through a teammate in a better-placed position. Non-stop England pressure at the moment.

GOAL! ENGLAND 1-2 ICELAND (KOLBEINN SIGTHORSSON)

Wow! Iceland take the lead from just their second attacking move of the match - and it was quite some team goal, too! It all started when Gunarsson sprayed a superb ball out to the right flank, before the ball was worked into a central position for Sigthorsson to blast away a shot from range. Hart really should have done better, simply allowing the ball to slip past him and into the back of the net.

Well the story of the match so far: England have dominated things but been caught up from Iceland's two attacking moves of the game. It is a very similar story to the contests against Russia and Slovakia, the difference being that the Nordic side know how to make the most of their rare openings.

Wayne Rooney of England celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the International Friendly match between England and France at Wembley Stadium on November 17, 2015© Getty Images


England not as dominant now as they were at 1-1, with the shots and half-chances drying up. The Three Lions just a little rattled and, with Rooney their only proper experienced international player - he's the only one to have tasted a knockout-stage win - it is not hard to see why.

SAVE! England now chasing a game against 34th in the world Iceland. Sturridge gets to the byline and pulls back a decent cross for Kane to brilliantly volley, but Halldorsson put up an arm to help the shot over the bar.

England now probing almost constantly in and around the Iceland box. Rose gets in behind and sends in a cross that deflects into the welcoming hands of Halldorsson between the sticks. We are now nearly half-hour in and the Three Lions still find themselves behind in Nice.

Alli goes down under very minimal contact inside the box, and referee Damir Skomina rightly waves away his weak appeals for a penalty. England just need to keep this momentum going until the break. I would say they have more goals in them but that looked the case against Slovakia, too.

Worth mentioning that, despite all the talk of needing goals - even more so now that they trail - England have had just the one shot on target other than the successful penalty. That came from Kane, with his volley being pushed over the bar a short while ago.

SHOT! England not looking all that composed at the back when dealing with Gunnarsson's throws, as witnessed with Iceland's opener. This latest one is cleared as far as Skulason, whose shot from 30 yards out is about a yard wide in the end.

Rooney has a rare attempt at goal which he curls well over the target. A promising sign, but that England momentum from 10 minutes ago has completely gone as we edge closer to the half-time interval.

SAVE! Gylfi Sigurdsson takes on a shot-to-nothing from range, which Hart this time makes no mistake with down the middle. The England keeper is a little slow in playing the ball back out, though, and Iceland successfully regroup into their compact shell.

YELLOW CARD! Sigurdsson brings down Rose before denying his former Tottenham teammate a chance to take a free-kick. Referee Skomina reaches into his pocked for the first time to book the Iceland midfielder.

Half time fast approaching now, just a few minutes away. Iceland just need to stand strong and ensure that the Three Lions' play remains disjointed for the remainder. Hodgson's men have had strong spells on the ball, but just have not done enough in truth.

Sturridge overhits his cross towards Alli, but the ball continues to dip towards the top corner of the net. Halldorsson did well to keep his eye on the ball, though, and was able to pluck the ball out of the air in what could be the final attacking move of the half.

SHOT! A fine Walker pullback is met by an unmarked Rooney on the edge of the box, but he gets his connection horribly wrong and sends his shot well wide of goal. Half a chance, that.

HALF TIME: ENGLAND 1-2 ICELAND

The big question before the match concerned how many England would score this evening. We all knew that Iceland had the ability to restrict their opponents and make life tough, but to lead at half time?... That is exactly the case here, with the Nordic side sitting on a 2-1 advantage at this midway point at the Stade de Nice.

England actually made the perfect start when Sterling, given a reprieve of sorts by Hodgson this evening, got on the end of a long ball over the top and went down under a challenge from Halldorsson. Rooney made no mistake from the spot, firing the Three Lions into a lead that their fast start to the game just about deserved.

Iceland, incredibly, hit back just 34 seconds later through Sigurdsson, before Sigthorsson blasted them ahead from range 19 minutes in. Hart should have done so much better in keeping the shot out, simply allowing the ball to creep past him into the bottom corner in an identical fashion to Gareth Bale's free kick in the knockout stages.

England pressed for a leveller in the remainder of the half, coming closest to finding one through Kane's well-struck volley that was helped over the bar. Sigurdsson had a shot on target of his own up the other end of the field, but it was to be Iceland who went into the midway point sitting on a one-goal advantage.

BENCH WATCH!

ENGLAND SUBS: Milner, Lallana, Vardy, Clyne, Forster, Henderson, Stones, Wilshere, Barkley, Bertrand, Rashford, Heaton

ICELAND SUBS: Kristinsson, Hauksson, Hermannsson, Ingason, Finnbogason, Sigurjonsson, Theodor Elmar Bjarnason, Magnusson, Hallfredsson, Traustason, Gudjohnsen, Jonsson


News of a half-time change to bring you from the Stade de Nice, as Jack Wilshere has replaced holding midfielder Eric Dier. A big change for Hodgson, but can his side respond in a positive manner? The players are now back out onto the field of play.

Jack Wilshere in action during the international friendly between England and Turkey on May 22, 2016© Getty Images


RESTART! We are back underway in the south of France, where England are quick out of the blocks as you would expect. Plenty of encouragement being given by the thousands of Three Lions supporters inside the ground.

YELLOW CARD! Daniel Sturridge earns the game's second caution for a rash challenge on Skulason. Not great for England, as they desperately need to find some momentum early in this second period.

Kane directs a well-delivered free kick goalwards, but it is easily handled by Halldorsson. Hodgson must be thinking about making another couple of changes soon as we edge closer to the hour mark.

A smart pass from Wilshere around the back, which Alli is so nearly on the end of. Halldorsson just about got their first, but that is another promising sign for the England supporters in attendance. England need more of that penetration around the Iceland defence.

SAVE! Fair to say that it is not all England in this second half. They are unable to enjoy spells on the ball, with Iceland making the most of their forays forward. Gunnarsson's latest throw is nodded on by Smalling for a corner kick, which opening goalscorer Sigurdsson met brilliantly with an overhead kick. Hart was there to keep it out and save his side further embarrassment.

We are now surely edging towards that time in the game when Hodgson will look towards Vardy. The change cannot come soon enough, in fact, because it is Iceland who are enjoying the better of things at the moment with 56 minutes played.

Still no way through for England, who are unable to get any real attempts on target at the moment. Cahill comes up for Walker's throw, which is well headed away by Sigurdsson. The Three Lions knock the door but still it is not really enough to get through.

ENGLAND SUB! Raheem Sterling won the England pen early on but has done nothing since. The Man City youngster is now off to be replaced by Jamie Vardy, who already has one goal to his name this tournament.

SHOT! Another half-chance for England, this time for Alli inside the box. A cross from the right was met by the central midfielder, who could only shin his attempt over the bar. Still no clear-cut openings for the Three Lions.

A little over 25 minutes left to play in Nice and England are staring at one of the worst defeats in their history - make no mistake about it. The Three Lions just cannot find the momentum they need, instead living off the odd half-chance here and there.

Iceland's players celebrate after scoring a goal during the Euro 2016 qualifying football match between Kazakhstan and Iceland in Astana on March 28, 2015© Getty Images


YELLOW CARD! Aron Gunnarsson is shown a yellow for infringement, giving England a chance to take range from a free kick around 25 yards out. Kane steps up but blasts it horribly wide of the target.

Wilshere the latest to blast wide of the target from distance. It sums things up for England at the moment - all very frustrating. Hodgson now has one final change available to make, which he must be pondering right about now. Iceland still have all three, meanwhile.

Rooney fails to take down a simple enough ball around 30 yards from goal when challenged by Sigurdsson, again summing things up for Hodgson's men. Vardy was through moments later, but a superb challenge from Sigurdsson - the defender, that is - denied the Leicester man a shot at goal.

Well it really is all or nothing for England now, as they keep bodies high up the pitch. That inevitably means gaps opening up at the back, but Saevarsson could only shoot over the bar when working a one-on-one position down the right flank.

Rooney is really struggling at the moment, but you get the sense that Hodgson would not contemplate taking him off. Rashford is the next man being readied to come on for these final 15 minutes or so in Nice.

A poor Sturridge delivery looks to be a simple one for Iceland to deal with, but Vardy does not give it up and heads the ball towards goal for Halldorsson to collect. Iceland looking just as dangerous when they come forward, although there are some tired legs out there now.

ICELAND SUB! On the subject of tired legs, the Icelandic coaching duo of Lagerback and Hallgrimsson still have the luxury of three subs available to use. Elmar Bjarnason is the first man to be introduced, replacing Jon Dadi Bodvarsson for the remaining 12 minutes.

CHANCE! Massively surprised not to have seen England's wildcard option, Marcus Rashford, brought on yet. The Three Lions have just had pretty much their best chance of the half, with Kane heading into the hands of Halldorsson from a deep Wilshere ball.

Eight minutes left to place at the Stade de Nice; eight minutes for Roy Hodgson to save his job by pulling off a great escape on the south coast of France. A wall of blue shirts now behind the ball, with the Three Lions desperately looking to pick open a little hole.

SAVE! A big, big save from Hart to deny Iceland a third. It's midfield maestro Gunnarsson who still has the energy to burst up the pitch and get a shot away, but Hart was equal to it. Iceland looking to see this through in style.

ENGLAND SUB! Wayne Rooney is indeed the man to be replaced - rightly so - to make way for Marcus Rashford. Kane's free kick is horribly overhit and that leads to thousands of whistles and boos from the England fans.

ICELAND SUB! Iceland doing well at breaking up play in these final 10 minutes, making another alteration - Arnor Traustason replacing Jon Dadi Bodvarsson. England are staring yet another early exit in the face, with just 120 seconds of normal time to play.

Great work by substitute Rashford to win his side a corner kick, but it comes to nothing and Iceland earn themselves a goal kick. Three added minutes to come. Iceland on the brink of their most famous moment.

England just cannot get the ball to drop to a white shirt inside the box, and we are now into the final 60 seconds. It really is a case of throwing everything at Iceland and hoping for the best, but it just does not look like being their day. England are on the brink.

CLOSE! A glancing header, off an Icelandic head, drops an inch wide of wide - an inch! The resulting corner is headed wide by Alli, and that will be that.

FULL TIME: ENGLAND 1-2 ICELAND

ICELAND ARE THROUGH TO THE QUARTER-FINALS!

I'm still trying to get my head around what we have just witnessed. Iceland - tournament debutants Iceland, with the population of a small city in Britain - have defeated England 2-1 to advance into the quarter-finals of Euro 2016. A match report from the Stade de Nice can be found by clicking here.

The inquest will inevitably start in the coming hours, if it has not already, but you feel that Roy Hodgson will be searching for a new job come this time next week. Plenty of England players will have this major blight on their CV's too - the most damning of defeats against an Iceland side with zero tournament pedigree prior to this year.

Stick with Sports Mole for reaction aplenty from the south of France, as the world reflects on arguably English football's lowest-ever moment. For now I bid you farewell. Thanks for joining!

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Jon Dadi Bodvarsson celebrates scoring during the Euro 2016 Group F match between Iceland and Austria on June 22, 2016
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