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LONDON (Reuters) – Phil Foden scored twice in England’s 4-0 win over Iceland on Wednesday, with 10 men, as both teams concluded their UEFA Nations League campaigns in Group A2 with only pride in playing.
England took control when West Ham United’s Declan Rice launched a header from a free kick in the 20th minute and the lead doubled four minutes later when Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount pounced on a ball that bounced in the area to finish off calmly.
The second half started badly for Iceland when Birkir Mar Saevarsson, who was playing his 95th game for his country, was sent off for a second yellow card.
20-year-old Manchester City midfielder Foden made it 3-0 with 10 minutes remaining with his first goal for England and added a long-distance effort to make it 4-0.
England had no longer qualified for the Nations League finals after a 2-0 loss on Sunday to one of the tournament favorites Belgium, while Iceland had already been relegated to League B.
England are still haunted by their defeat to Iceland in the 2016 European Championship, but they dominated possession and opportunities throughout Wednesday without really going through the gears.
Rice’s first goal came from a free kick for a foul on the edge of the area, while Mount allowed the ball to race through his body into a full box before setting a fresh shot in the corner.
The game did not skyrocket in the second half even after the red card in the 54th minute, but it eventually accelerated after a series of substitutions.
One of the replacements, Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, teamed up with Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka to fuel Foden’s debut goal and his second was matched on either side by a barrage of shots that were blocked or wide open.
Iceland, whose coach Erik Hamren was already retiring after Wednesday’s game, had a couple of chances at half-time in the first half, but probably lost their best chance after being sent off in the second half when captain Kari Arnason headed wide.
(Reporting by Marc Jones; Editing by Toby Davis)
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