England v Iceland player ratings: Hodgson's boys flop as the underdogs impress

Iceland clinched a historic 2-1 victory against England to reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2016

Samuel Lovett
Monday 27 June 2016 17:43 EDT
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The Iceland team celebrate their phenomenal win over England
The Iceland team celebrate their phenomenal win over England (GETTY)

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What a night for England. After the dream start in which Rooney coolly converted from the penalty spot to put his side ahead, it all went pear-shaped for Roy Hodgson's side.

After going on to concede two weak goals before the 20-minute mark, England struggled to break down a stubborn and well-disciplined Iceland defence.

Going forward, the English side offered minimal creativity in and around the Iceland box and left themselves dangerously exposed down the flanks as the boys in blue threatened on more than one occasion outwide.

As the clock ticked down things became even more frantic for England as ball after ball was pumped forward in the hope of catching their opponents out.

The introduction of Jamie Vardy at the hour mark failed to invigorate the team while Iceland continued to absorb the English pressure.

Marcus Rashford offered England late hope as he was brought on in the dying minutes of the match but it was not his day as Hodgson's team failed to find an equaliser.

A historic evening for both sides but one England will be in a hurry to forget. The nadir of English football? Quite possibly.

So how did they rate?

England

Joe Hart: Yet another Joe Hart mistake has cost England. Absolutely dreadful. 4

Kyle Walker: To blame for the first goal. Got forward more than Rose but some of his deliveries were off the mark. 5

Gary Cahill: Caught napping for Iceland's second goal. Lacked any real authority at the back. 5

Chris Smalling: Struggled to organise the English defence in the opening 20 minutes and paid the price. 5

Chris Smalling
Chris Smalling (Getty)

Danny Rose: Over-committed down the flank at the wrong times and gifted Iceland too much space when they broke. 5

Dele Alli: Never threatened when both in and outside the box. Not good enough from a player who looked to offer so much coming into this tournament. 5

Eric Dier: Subbed off at half time for tactical purposes. 4

Wayne Rooney: Too many displaced places while multiple mistakes on the ball let him down. Abject performance. 4

Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney (Getty)

Daniel Sturridge: Got into the right positions but so many of his deliveries from the right were absolutely appalling. 5

Harry Kane: Set-pieces were dire. Offered very little on the ball. 4

Raheem Sterling: Earned England their penalty but just lacked any real confidence on the ball. Subbed early. 4


Raheem Sterling 

 Raheem Sterling 
 (Getty)

Iceland:

Hannes Halldórsson: Denied England a come-back with some fantastic saves. 7

Birkir Saevarsson: Distribution was questionable at times. Came very close with a fantastic second half strike though. 6

Kari Arnason: Defensively sound. Gave Kane little room and was impressive in the air. 7

Ragnar Sigurdsson: Took his goal well and put in some key interceptions at the back. Pulled off a fantastic recovering tackle to deny Vardy a shot on goal. Man of the match. 8

Ragnar Sigurdsson
Ragnar Sigurdsson (Getty)

Ari Freyr Skúlason: Had little say on the game with Iceland sitting back for most of the game. 6

Johann Berg Gudmundsson: Another Iceland player who couldn't really influence the game but his strength proved valuable in the midfield battles. 6

Johann Berg Gudmundsson
Johann Berg Gudmundsson (Getty)

Aron Gunnarsson: His long throws were Iceland's secret weapon and provided his team with their first goal. 7

Gylfi Sigurdsson: Disrupted England's play from the back and came close with a series of first half strikes. 6

Birkir Bjarnason: At his best on the counter-attack, threatened with pace when outside on the flank. 7

Birkir Bjarnason
Birkir Bjarnason (Getty)

Kolbeinn Sigthorsson: Grabbed Iceland's second and the deciding goal. What an evening for him. 7

Jon Daoi Bödvarsson: Not as effective as others but kept the English defence busy nonetheless. 6

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