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England got away with it. Or, more specifically, Kyle Walker and Joe Gomez got away with it. They were the most relieved men in Reykjavik on a disappointing occasion when Raheem Sterling’s late penalty kicked Gareth Southgate’s team to victory.
Walker had put England in danger by receiving a second yellow card in the 70th minute, marking his return to the international fold after a 15-month hiatus, and he had reason to be extremely grateful to Sterling, his teammate at the Manchester City, who won and converted the penalty that seemed to have broken Iceland’s overwhelming resistance.
Sterling’s shot was charged with an arm by Icelandic defender Arnór Ingvi Traustason, whose anguish about conceding the penalty was compounded by a second yellow card for handball. Sterling’s kick rolled his kick straight through the middle of the goal and inside.
There would be more drama when Iceland lifted a high ball, Gomez lost his way and put his hands on substitute Hólmbert Fridjónsson, who went to the ground. It was the start of a second penalty, but Iceland was unable to capitalize. Birkir Bjarnason’s kick went wide and England was able to exhale.
England had started off brilliantly and Harry Kane was denied a first match due to a wrongly raised flag. But the game turned into hard work, with England working to break Iceland’s two banks out of four. The latest drama had barely been announced, but Southgate and Sterling were happy to accept it.
England’s attack rhythm has been pronounced under Southgate and they pressed their front foot from the start, drawing attention with some of their moves and combinations. Kane seemed in the mood, testing goalkeeper Hannes Thor Halldórsson with an early shot and then being denied what appeared to be a good goal in the sixth minute by an offside flag.
Sterling crossed from the left and when the ball went all the way for Kane, he got into the far post.
Perhaps the assistant referee thought that Eric Dier had touched the center, that the defender had stretched to reach, but did not. Replays also showed that Kane had timed his run perfectly. Where was the VAR when it was needed? It was a key moment.
England squeezed high and dominated the ball, leaving Iceland behind, but the hosts kept the lines tight and it was clear that England would have to work for their starts.
Southgate has preached patience, emphasizing the importance of making the right decisions under pressure, not rushing the shot, but waiting until the right moment. His team put together a glorious one in the 18th minute only to end with Declan Rice holding his head in his hands, shame burning.
The midfielder tackled a return pass from Jadon Sancho, well positioned within the corner of the six-yard box, and swung his shooting foot. He missed the ball completely and felt it hit his leg. Sancho had the beating of the left back, Hordur Magnússon, and England needed to explode one on one.
Walker had deflected a deflected shot in the ninth minute, but England lost their initial urgency and the first half became exhausting. The tempo was missing from England’s point of view, there were too many things side by side and they couldn’t find many spaces between the lines.
It had been easy to focus on England’s troubles in preparation, not least in the Harry Maguire saga, but Iceland had also endured a bumpy ride, with controversy associated with the decision of two of its key players, Gylfi Sigurdsson. and Johann Berg. Gudmundsson, to be unavailable for selection.
Coach Erik Hamren did not have six major players and lost a seventh in the warm-up when Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, the striker who scored the winning goal against England in the European Championship, had to retire. However, Iceland’s unconditional commitment will endure.
The pattern was ingrained; England pushing but struggling to find a way, Iceland closing down hard, working tirelessly for each other. The hosts’ efforts started with the two forwards, who were more akin to a front line defense, and the Icelandic players grew in confidence as the minutes progressed.
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It became the toughest watch, the kind that fans in England have endured more times than they would like to mention over the years. After the brilliant start, offensive-minded England players struggled and unfortunately Phil Foden was unable to do anything on his debut. Southgate took it off in the 68th minute.
Moments later, Walker’s expulsion summed up the mounting frustration. England had hardly threatened after the restart. Rice shot high from the distance and a free kick by Kieran Trippier escaped Jon Dadi Bödvarsson to pass the post. That was it. And yet, with Mason Greenwood making his backup debut, Sterling and England found a way.
