- England suffered a 1-0 defeat to Iceland in their final warm-up match for Euro 2024
- Gareth Southgate will be concerned about the performances of some of his stars
England’s final pre-season match for Euro 2024 did not go to plan as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Iceland.
Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson’s first-half goal proved to be the difference between the two teams at Wembley.
There was also another cause for concern for Gareth Southgate, with John Stones having to be substituted at half-time.
England’s Euro 2024 campaign kicks off on June 16 when the country takes on Serbia.
Craig Hope rates how each England player performed on Friday evening.
There was concern for Gareth Southgate as England were beaten 1-0 by Iceland at Wembley
ENGLAND (4-2-3-1)
Aaron Ramsdale 5
Hit at the near post for a goal and was too slow to get down. The look of fear on the face told its own story. One big save in the second half.
Aaron Ramsdale was beaten at his near post for Iceland’s goal on a disappointing night
Kyle Walker6
Didn’t use enough pace in attacking areas when his team needed to to break down stubborn Iceland. Defensively solid enough.
Jan Steen 5
Survived the injury in the first minute but will be disappointed he didn’t do more to stop the shot on target. Withdrawn at halftime, and that’s a concern.
John Stones should have done more to prevent the goal and it was worrying that he went off the field
Marc Guehi 5.5
Bosnia’s improvement in that passage was more reliable. Brave block late in the first half to deny a goal but was caught flat-footed due to two big Icelandic misses in the second half. Questions remain.
Kieran Trippier6
Doesn’t have the same attacking impact as left back, but will benefit from more minutes post-injury and was stable enough to confirm the starting spot.
Declan Rice 6.5
Forced early chance for Palmer with aggression in clearing the keeper and his crisp pass later created an opening for the same player. The importance for the team is obvious.
Declan Rice demonstrated his importance to England, both in and out of possession
Kobbie Mainoo6
Neat and tidy, but was it enough to influence the outcome? Not really. Could Wharton be more progressive in the same position? Probably.
Kool Palmer 7
Either they created the best chances or they were wrong. The final product was lacking this time, but once again looked bright and dangerous. MOM in a non-competitive field and has to start as an opener.
Cole Palmer was England’s standout player and showed he deserves to start
Phil Foden6
Sloppy first half, with wayward passes and crosses. Also lost man for Iceland goal. Tried to make things happen, but not his night.
Anthony Gordon 6.5
Looked in need of minutes after three weeks, but still had bursts of promise and was a very useful outlet. But in terms of the end product it could be better.
Harry Kane5
Should have scored when he skipped over from close range and wasn’t involved enough. Poor by his standards.
Harry Kane was not at his sharpest and should have found the net from close range
Subs
Ezri Konsa came on as a substitute at the start of the second half, replacing John Stones
Ezri Konsa (by for Stones, 46) 5.5
Joe Gomez (up for Trippier, 65) 5.5
Bukayo Saka (on for Gordon, 65) 5
Ivan Toney (in for Kane, 65) 5
Trent Alexander-Arnold (in for Walker, 65) 6
Eberechi Eze (up for Palmer 77) 5.5
Manager
Gareth Southgate 5
His team did not look like a European Championship candidate here. Too slow and predictable in attack and struggled against Iceland’s low block, a tactic they will face in the group stages.