Shocking Euro run continues for Iceland
Small nation pulls off huge upset by beating England
NICE, France — Iceland pulled off one of the biggest shocks in European Championship history by beating England 2-1 in the round of 16 on Monday, continuing the astonishing run of the smallest nation at the tournament.
England slumped to its most embarrassing loss in a generation after taking the lead in the fourth minute through Wayne Rooney’s penalty.
Ragnar Sigurdsson and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson took advantage of defensive shortcomings by England to put Iceland ahead by the 18th minute, and the Icelanders defended superbly in the second half to earn the biggest victory in their history and a quarterfinal match against France in Saint-Denis.
“They thought that this would be a walk in the park,” Sigurdsson said. “We had faith in our ability.”
Iceland, a country of 330,000 people, is featuring in its first ever major tournament.
It proved to the last match of the four-year reign of England coach Roy Hodgson, whose contract was up after the tournament anyway.
“Now is the time for someone else to oversee the progress of this young, hungry and extremely talented group of players,” Hodgson said. “They have been fantastic.”
The England fans who booed the team off at halftime and fulltime will likely have a different opinion.
England’s players head home early again for another post-tournament inquest. Their players slumped to the ground in front of their jeering fans after the final whistle, their heads in their hands.
For a soccer nation of England’s standing, its record in major tournaments is woeful. The English have still never won a knockout-stage game abroad in the European Championship in eight attempts and haven’t won a match beyond the group stage of a major tournament since 2006.
This defeat will probably go down as England’s biggest humiliation since losing 1-0 to the United States in 1950 World Cup. ITALY 2, SPAIN 0: In Saint-Denis, France, Spain’s era of dominance at the European Championship came to an end Monday when Italy beat the two-time defending champion 2-0 in the round of 16.
Italy deserved its victory and was impressive from the start at Stade de France, stifling Spain’s attacking intent and creating several scoring opportunities with its slick interplay.
The victory meant Italy avoided a third consecutive elimination at the European Championship to Spain, and secure a quarterfinal clash against another old foe, Germany.
“It was definitely a great performance,” Italy coach Antonio Conte said. “They did something fantastic tonight. They are great men and wonderful footballers.”
Giorgio Chiellini, a member of Italy’s resilient defense, put his team ahead in the 33rd minute, when he poked the ball across the line after Spain goalkeeper David de Gea couldn’t hold on to a free kick by Eder.
The result brings an end to Spain’s unprecedented success at the European Championship following its two consecutive victories in 2008 and 2012. Two years ago, defending its 2010 World Cup, Spain was dumped out of the World Cup in Brazil at the group stage.
“We have to accept the disappointment. They were more efficient in the decisive moments,” Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta said. “In the second half we played more like ourselves but we paid the price of also having to be careful on defense.”
FRANCE: On any given Sunday, a rested France team will play at the European Championship.
In tournament soccer where a team’s matches typically come every four days, France’s schedule is more like a club team.
On Sunday, June 19, France drew 0-0 with Switzerland to ensure first place in its group. That earned France a match against Ireland in the round of 16 exactly one week later. The hosts won 2-1. Next Sunday, France will return to Stade de France for a quarterfinal match against Iceland.