England tends to exit tournaments in extravagant ways, but Monday’s elimination was perhaps the most surprising and embarrassing in the country’s history.
Facing off with Iceland, a nation populated by just over 300,000 people, England suffered Euro 2016 elimination via a 2-1 scoreline. With the win, Iceland advances to the Euro 2016 quarterfinals against hosts France.
It took just four minutes for England to strike, as they did so with a penalty kick. After Raheem Sterling was taken down by Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Halldórsson, Wayne Rooney buried the ensuing penalty to give England the early advantage.
That advantage lasted just six minutes, as Ragnar Sigurdsson darted past Kyle Walker before firing past Joe Hart to level the scoreline at one apiece.
In the 18th minute, England’s wheels fell off. On what was Iceland’s best passing sequence of the half, Kolbeinn Sigthorsson drove a low shot towards Joe Hart. The Manchester City goalkeeper parried the shot right into the net, leaving England 2-0 down.
England struggled to create throughout the second half, as Iceland’s defense stood tall and limited England to a series of wayward crosses and long shots. In the end, England suffered a remarkable defeat in what served as the surprise of the tournament.
Iceland returns to action against France on Sunday, where they will look to continue their miraculous tournament run.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Ragnar Sigurdsson was a star in defense for Iceland, making tackle after tackle to seal a historic victory.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH
Kolbeinn Sigthorsson’s finish gave Iceland the lead, and the underdogs never looked back following the 18th minute goal.
MATCH TO FORGET
Once again, Joe Hart’s struggles in goal headlined an England performance, as Monday’s failure doomed England to a shocking elimination.