England 1 (Rooney pen 4')
Iceland 2 (Sigurdsson 6', Sigthorsson 18')
England depart Euro 2016 with an achievement of sorts. They mustered perhaps the most ignominious defeat in their often inglorious history. With a country in crisis, a football team underlined the sense that everything is unravelling with a display of startling ineptitude.
They lost to Iceland. The smallest nation ever to reach a major tournament are now the smallest to gravitate to the last eight. Their population, of 330,000, is smaller than that of the London borough of Croydon that produced Roy Hodgson. Iceland have a dentist, in Heimir Hallgrimsson, as their joint manager and the director of a video for a Eurovision Song Contest entry, in Hannes Halldorsson, in goal. They nevertheless won and deservedly so. Men with unlikely tales have staged a saga worthy of any in Icelandic folklore.
England, in contrast, conjured a result that belongs in their hall of infamy. Theirs is a past pockmarked with pratfalls, partly because of their enduring ability to underperform, partly out of a misplaced sense of their own importance. The nadir, until now, was probably, the 1-0 defeat to the United States in the 1950 World Cup. One English newspaper, assuming that scoreline was a misprint, changed it to a 10-1 England win. It was a case of wishful thinking. News travels quicker these days; there will be no repeat. England’s embarrassment was broadcast and advertised. They were a laughing stock long before Damir Skomina blew the final whistle.
More on Euro 2016:
• Ian Hawkey on Spain v Italy: Spain, undone by Italian urgency, have become ordinary defenders — in matches and of trophies
• Ian Hawkey on Antoine Griezmann: After slow start, Griezmann assumes Euro 2016 role akin to Zinedine Zidane at World Cup '98
• England v Iceland gallery: Tiny Iceland fight back to shock England and advance to quarter-finals – in pictures
In the process, he ended Roy Hodgson’s tenure as England manager. He recognised his position was untenable and promptly resigned. Sir Alf Ramsey was finished off by Poland, Graham Taylor by Holland, Kevin Keegan by Germany and Steve McClaren by Croatia. Defeat to lowly Iceland did for Hodgson.
Because England were out-thought. Whereas Iceland allied defensive solidity with quick breaks, England were frantic, with plenty of urgency and precious little strategy. It was kick and rush. Touches were poor, passes misplaced, decisions misguided.
They have spent much of the tournament playing like headless chickens, taking illusory positives by referencing the numbers of shots they have had. It has been a failure of mentality, among other things. Like many a previous England team, they failed to deliver under pressure.
England have been able to claim dominance in each of their four games, in terms of possession and chances. They have only won one. At some stage, that stops being coincidence or misfortune and becomes an indictment of wider failings. They have rarely been a team to seize the moment, one with the clinical touch at the crucial moment. They have rarely looked a side able to plot a way through a crowded defence. They have never appeared the cleverest tactically or the most solid defensively.
It would not be so damning if England did not have talent. But they do. Not enough in defence, admittedly, though still more than Iceland enjoy. But they have plenty in midfield and attack, more than an Italy team who eviscerated the defending champions Spain. But then Italy have a manager who configured his team brilliantly. England had Hodgson.
Hodgson spent much of the tournament playing 4-3-3, even though his players did not suit the system. He put Harry Kane on set-pieces and Daniel Sturridge on the wing. They were reasons why neither played to his potential. Nor did Raheem Sterling, despite winning a penalty. There were fanciful suggestions that Kyle Walker had been the best right-back in Euro 2016. The problem with that argument is that he is an inadequate defender, which was illustrated when Iceland equalised. Joe Hart arrived with the reputation as one of Europe’s best goalkeepers and played lamentably. It may be wrong to make him a scapegoat, simply because of the wretchedness of so many others against Iceland.
England’s exit is all the more incriminatory because it was so avoidable. They had an easy qualifying group, a weak pool, a last-16 tie others envied and an early lead. In the penalty box, as in the international monetary exchanges, Sterling went down when Halldorsson bundled into the recalled winger. Wayne Rooney drilled in the penalty, marking his 115th cap — equalling David Beckham’s England record for an outfield player — with a goal.
So far, so good. England contrived to concede 34 seconds after the restart. In theory, England ought to be well equipped to defend against set-piece specialists. In practice, they were not. Aron Gunnarsson’s long throw was met by Kari Arnason. The other centre-back, Ragnar Sigurdsson, escaped from Walker to volley in his flick-on.
It got worse. Culpable for Gareth Bale’s goal for Wales, Hart was at fault again. There were certain similarities: once again, he got a hand to a shot and succeeded only in pushing it into the net. Kolbeinn Sigthorsson was the grateful scorer. He was the headline act, but the glory belongs to the entire Iceland side.
They were already national heroes. Sporting immortality beckons in their native island for this remarkably well-drilled, hugely spirited and ever underrated group. They have confounded every expectation and their reward is a quarter-final against hosts France.
But England, at the ballot box and on the football field alike, are an international embarrassment.
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
