England 1-2 Iceland: Stunning upset as underdogs prevail
This was an astoundingly ignominious exit from the European Championship for England, who were out-fought, out-thought and out-played by the minnows of Iceland at the Allianz Riviera.
Roy Hodgson’s men actually got off to a positive start, taking the lead in the fourth minute when Wayne Rooney converted from the penalty spot, but their performance for the remainder of the game was frankly staggering in its comprehensive ineptitude.
England were second best in every single department, both individually and collectively, and fully deserved to go in at half-time 2-1 down after goals from Ragnar Sigurdsson and Kolbein Sigthorsson.
If a major improvement was expected after break simply on the basis that things could hardly get any worse, England somehow contrived to plumb new depths in the second period.
There was no intensity and there were no ideas, with England barely creating a scoring chance of note as Iceland defended convincingly and posed an occasional threat on the counter. Possession was cheaply given up in midfield time and time again as Hodgson's players inexplicably failed to control easy passes or pick out teammates in space, while the complete absence of any sort of discernible tactical plan reflected terribly on the manager who later resigned in his post-match press conference.
Iceland deserve plenty of credit for an astonishing achievement but, most damningly of all for England, this was a rather comfortable triumph for the Group F winners in the end. This round of 16 tie in Nice will go down as one of the most incredible upsets in the history of international football.
Italy 2-0 Spain: Holders out as Conte’s side march on
Spain’s reign as continental kings is over as the Euro 2008 and Euro 2012 champions were knocked out of Euro 2016 by Italy.
This was another completely deserved outcome as Antonio Conte’s charges delivered a tactical masterclass to nullify a team that had looked so imperious in their first two outings against Czech Republic and Turkey this summer.
At the Stade de France, though, Spain were leggy and lethargic, their passing pedestrian and their pressing uncoordinated. There was no spark or zip to their play, and Italy took full advantage with their superior energy, aggression and – on the day at least – technical ability.
Indeed, while this Italy outfit does not possess the same individual quality as their opponents in Paris, they produced a collective display that did not just bridge that gap but jumped straight over it.
Unable to play their usual quick and slick passing game in the final third, Spain were shown to be lacking any sort of sophisticated plan B, with their hunt for an equaliser amounting to little more than shots from distance and crosses into the box.
They have provided us with some wonderful moments over the last eight years, but Spain’s time at the summit of the international game is now well and truly over. Italy march on, with Germany up next in Bordeaux on Saturday.
Player of the day
Graziano Pelle was outstanding up front for Italy, holding the ball up, bringing others into play and netting the goal that sealed his side’s place in the quarter-finals late on.
Goal of the day
Kolbein Sigthorsson’s shot was not the strongest, but the move that led to Iceland going 2-1 up was better than anything England managed to produce all night.
Howler of the day
Despite the above, Joe Hart still should have kept out Sigthorsson’s strike, which was neither particularly powerful nor headed to the bottom corner of the goal.
Statistic of the day
Spain lost a European Championship match by more than one goal for the first time since 1988.
Moment of the day
Iceland’s players celebrated their remarkable victory by joining in with their supporters’ favourite chant, clapping in unison with thousands of fans as the magnitude of what they had just accomplished began to slowly sink in.
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