Roy Hodgson’s side were seconds away from another major tournament meeting with the side that dumped them out of successive tournaments in 2004 and 2006 when Arnor Ingvi Traustason notched a stoppage-time victor against Austria to rewrite the script.
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In Group A, Albania finished third – but they did so with only three points and a -2 goal difference.
England will surely be working hard on their final balls and finishing in the days between now and their next match in Nice on Monday.
Wales will now go up against the third-put side from either Group A, C or D in the continue going 16 in Paris on Saturday in the wake of pipping England to top spot.
Should England reach the quarter-finals, they will play in at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday 3 July at 8pm BST.
The first meeting was a 1-1 draw in Reykjavik in 1982, with England winning 6-1 in their next encounter at the City of Manchester Stadium in 2004.
Coach Roy Hodgson took a gamble in team selection by dropping six players from the victory over Wales, including captain Wayne Rooney.
Hodgson showed a certain prescience in the aftermath of England’s goalless draw against Slovakia, suggesting the slip from first place to runner-up might not be too detrimental in the short term. The way things are looking that probably won’t be enough, however: as you can see from the state of play below, there’s a very good chance that Portugal will get at least a point against Hungary, and that one of the Czech Republic or Sweden will beat either shaky-looking Turkey or disappointing Belgium in their final match.
And I’m pretty sure that sooner or later we’re going to make somebody pay because if we keep dominating and creating chances like we’re doing we’re going to score goals one day.
In that respect, he will allow himself a moment of satisfaction, with Iceland 26 places lower in the Federation Internationale de Football Association ladder than Portugal’s eighth place. A draw would leave Iceland second if Hungary win or if the other game is drawn; in the second scenario, Portugal and Iceland would be separated on goals scored, disciplinary (Portugal have a superior coefficient); even then Iceland could progress as a best third-placed side.
It is estimated that around eight per cent of Iceland’s population has made the trip to France, and the 33-year-old lent credence to that claim.
“Tonight that was what we wanted to work on the most and we passed it tremendously well”. I’m so lucky to be experiencing something now as a manager, at a tournament, and to see the team perform like that, it’s really pleasing.
“This is extra sweet for us”.
The stats said it all: England had 60 percent possession and 30 attempts on goal.
“But if we do face them it will be far from an easy game”.
“There are lots of threats in that team”.
Alan Smith believes Roy Hodgson is unsure about his best starting line-up for England.
Asked what his team would have to do to take their fairytale into the quarter-finals, Hallgrimsson said: “I think everyone knows Iceland has to have the flawless game”.
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Wales have treated this tournament as if every game is a must-win game, that they are not here to make up the numbers and have a clear plan. “That’s the objective situation”, Russia’s Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, who is under pressure over the team’s poor performance, told Tass after the loss to Wales. “If we can stay beyond the next round, I think you’ll be speaking of him in a different light because that’s the player he is”.
