[ad_1]
Raheem Sterling’s last gasp saved England’s blush in Iceland when a tepid Nations League encounter came to a dramatic conclusion.
With the March friendlies scrapped and Euro 2020 postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Three Lions returned with a groan in front of the empty stands in Reykjavik after their forced 10-month hiatus.
Harry Kane’s first game canceled and Kyle Walker sent off seemed to have been the key moments in Iceland, only for England to clinch a late 1-0 victory when Birkir Bjarnason lit up a penalty moments after Sterling scored a goal.
It was a crazy finish to an otherwise forgettable game that had a distinct preseason vibe, with poor quality of attack on display.
England had nothing to do with their best performance at Laugardalsvollur, where the absence of a video assistant referee meant that Kane’s opening opener was ruled offside.
That was the closest Southgate’s team came in a first half in which they enjoyed 76 percent of possession but struggled to create, even with playmaker Phil Foden making his first start.
Iceland fought back resolutely and England’s afternoon became even more difficult when Walker got a second caution with 20 minutes to go.
Danny Ings and rookie Mason Greenwood entered in an attempt to provoke a late winner, who came to his death after Sverrir Ingason was judged to have handled Sterling’s shot. The Icelander received a second warning and the English striker took the penalty.
But the drama didn’t stop there. Joe Gomez gave Iceland a chance to level from his own penalty, but former Aston Villa midfielder Bjarnason missed the goal.
Given the way the match unfolded, it hardly felt as if England had exacted revenge for their Euro 2016 humiliation against Iceland.
Southgate opened up four players from that shameful night in Nice, and one of those survivors, Kane, was determined to score a first goal in the 2020 Three Lions opener.
After trying his luck from the edge of the box, the England captain found the net with just six minutes left. Kane got a good cross from Sterling at the far post, but was puzzled to see the goal disallowed for offside.
Southgate’s men continued on the front foot and Walker, who won his first match since the Nations League final in June 2019, saw a spike deflected into the side net before Declan Rice fluffed up his lines.
But England’s admirable patience in possession soon made the game predictable, causing the pace to drastically slow down as Iceland became frustrated without a clear chance of their own.
The hosts’ only shot was Arnor Ingvi Traustason’s poor free kick after Walker knocked down Albert Gudmundsson on the edge of the box and received a warning.
The visitors continued to work on offense after the break, with Rice on fire, Jadon Sancho fighting and Kane watching a blocked acrobatic attempt.
Kieran Trippier’s free kick was headed behind his own goal by Kari Arnason and Southgate replaced Foden with Danny Ings, earning his second cap five years after his first, in an attempt to add extra touch.
However, the dynamic changed soon after, when Walker’s excessive defiance of Traustason led to a second yellow card from referee Srdjan Jovanovic.
England kept pushing for a winner and Southgate turned to 18-year-old Mason Greenwood, who arrived to debut in place of the exhausted patron Kane.
The victory seemed a step too far, but the Three Lions received a late penalty when the referee decided that Ingason had handled Sterling’s shot. The Icelandic player was sent off for his second warning and the Manchester City forward scored the resulting penalty.
However, there would be a kick to the point even later on the other end.
Gomez was judged to knock down Holmbert Fridjonsson in the box and Bjarnason sent Jordan Pickford down the wrong path with his injury time penalty, only for the midfielder to clear the crossbar and hand England three points.
[ad_2]