ICELAND’S CHILLING REMINDER

HE’S a man who has saved a penalty from Lionel Messi at the World Cup and directed Iceland’s video for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Now goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson is hoping to orchestrate another epic production – by derailing England’s Nation’s League hopes and bringing back painful memories of their 2016 European Championship humiliation. England return to Reykjavik for the first time since 1982 next Saturday, locking horns with the country that dumped them out of the Euros in Nice four years ago. Gareth Southgate’s side have come a long way since.

But Halldorsson (left) is confident that Iceland can inflict some fresh damage when the two sides clash in front of the empty terraces of the Laugardalsvollur Stadium.

“It’s really sad because people have been waiting for decades for England to travel to Iceland,” he says. “People would have been really, really excited to come and see us facing them.

“The Nation’s League group is fantastic for us because we have so much history against England and we’re also playing Denmark, who we have never beaten.

“There won’t be any fear. We obviously have a lot of respect for the England team, which on paper is definitely the stronger team. They’re the favourites if you look at the line-ups but we have shown throughout the years that if we play to our strengths then we can compete against anyone.

“Hopefully we will have our day against England again.

“Everyone still talks about the game (in 2016) – it’s one of the biggest moments in our nation’s history.

“They talk to me about it almost as much as they talk to me about my save against Messi in the World Cup!”

The country’s fabled Viking Thunder

Clap has rarely been heard as loudly as it was in Nice on an evening that broke English hearts.

And it signalled the end of Roy Hodgson’s tenure as coach.