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5 months ago
27
England were booed off on their Euro 2024 send-off as Iceland left Wembley with a shock win to deal Gareth Southgate’s side a reality check.
And in more concerning news for the England head coach, he was dealt a worrying injury blow after John Stones suffered a blow to his ankle in the opening minutes just nine days before the tournament opener against Serbia.
In their final warm up game before the European Championship, Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson fired Iceland to a shock win, a result that means England head into the Euros on a run of just one victory in five matches.
On the defeat and the supporters reaction, Southgate said: ‘I completely understand (the boos). We didn’t play well enough to keep them excited within the game.
‘We had some very, very good chances which normally would be finished which could have given a different complexion to the game and of course would have affected the confidence of the opponent.
Gareth Southgate admitted he understood the negative reaction from the crowd as England were defeated by Iceland
Jon Thorsteinsson's first-half goal secured Iceland's second-ever win over the Three Lions
England were met with jeers from the Wembley crowd after a frustrating performance from the hosts
‘But that would have masked some flaws that were apparent tonight. From my perspective, I’ve learned a lot from the game.
‘It does focus the mind that any sort of complacency that talent is going to get us this trophy and that we only have to stroll in…football is not like that. You’ve got to be spot on in every aspect of the game to win any game at this level and we were a long way short of that tonight and Iceland deserved their win.
‘But I’ve no qualms with the supporters' reaction. To have the fans with you here obviously makes a massive difference, but you have to give them enough goalmouth action, you have to play well enough, press and win the ball with intensity to keep them with you during the game.
‘It’s not the night we wanted, the performance was not on the level it needed to be.
‘It’s far from an ideal night, I’m not going to dress up the disappointment but we have to stay calm because we know what needs to be put right.’
Southgate did provide a promising update on John Stones after the defender was replaced at half-time
Stones received lengthy treatment on the field and again at half-time in the Wembley tunnel. He left the stadium with strapping on his right ankle.
‘John we decided at half-time there was no point in taking any chances because we’re obviously so close to the tournament and he’s a very important player for us. We think he's probably okay.’
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