England vs Iceland LIVE: Result and reaction as Jon Thorsteinsson goal gives visitors memorable win

England were beaten 1-0 by Iceland in their final warm-up game ahead of Euro 2024. With Gareth Southgate naming his 26-man squad on Thursday there was a feeling of anticipation ahead of the clash at Wembley to see what the Three Lions’ younger players could produce.

The answer wasn’t much. Cole Palmer, starting on the right side alongside Harry Kane and Anthony Gordon, was a livewire in the early stages but Iceland were the ones to open the scoring. A sharp move from Hakon Arnar Haraldsson in midfield saw the ball slipped through to Jon Thorsteinsson who cut inside and drilled a low shot through the legs of John Stones to beat second-choice goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale at the near post.

That goal shocked Wembley and England who looked to respond. Harry Kane fired over the bar, Phil Foden slotted an effort wide and Palmer messed up a one-on-one. There was a lack of ruthlessness and creativity in the final third.

Gareth Southgate’s men head to Germany on the back of a defeat which he’ll hope will spur them on to better things come the start of the tournament.

Relive the action below:

England vs Iceland LIVE

• England’s flaws on full display as Wembley defeat sours Euro 2024 departure

• England beaten by Iceland at Wembley in final warm-up match before Euro 2024

• Match came a day after England’s final 26-man squad was announced

• England’s Euro 2024 squad: Who’s on the plane and who has missed out?

• England XI: Ramsdale; Walker, Stone, Guehi, Tripper; Rice, Mainoo;, Palmer, Foden Gordon; Kane.

• 12’ - GOAL! Thorsteinsson beats Ramsdale at the near post [ENG 0-1 ICE]

England’s flaws on full display as Wembley defeat sours Euro 2024 departure

22:05 , Mike Jones

It was a defeat to Iceland that ended a dismal Euros campaign to essentially start the Gareth Southgate era and… well, you can fill in the rest. The manager must concentrate on filling in the many gaps in this surprisingly callow team before the Euro 2024 first game against Serbia on Sunday week, and maybe a bit more. A strange history was made with the 1-0 defeat to Iceland at Wembley on Friday, that doesn’t necessarily augur that well for the month ahead. England lost the last game before a full tournament for just the second time in their history, and the first since 1954.

That was a famous 7-1 defeat to Hungary, which illustrates just what a different era it was. The very fact that many victorious send-offs since produced some bad tournaments means that little enough should be read into such results, and it’s not like there will be wails of protest in the manner we’ve seen in the past.

There were some boos, though, and they accompany what is a genuine question for Southgate ahead of what is presumed to be his last campaign.

England have commonly been seen as maybe the favourites for Euro 2024 due to the way a deep squad has grown in talent and experience over eight years. Now, just as they’re at the brink, Southgate has stripped away so many of those stalwarts to introduce a lot of relatively untried players who have never played together before.

England’s flaws on full display as Wembley defeat sours Euro 2024 departure

Euro 2024 fixtures: Full tournament schedule, groups, kick-off times and dates

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Just over a week now until England begin their Euro 2024 campaign. It begins against Serbia on 16 June, with the tournament having started two days before when hosts Germany face Scotland in Munich.

England then face Denmark and Slovenia in their other group games, before the round of 16 begins on 29 June. If England top their group, they’ll play their first knockout game on 30 June in Gelsenkirchen. The Three Lions’ full fixtures list is as follows:

Sunday 16 June – Serbia vs England, 8pm BST

Thursday 20 June – Denmark vs England, 5pm BST

Tuesday 25 June – England vs Slovenia, 8pm BST

Read below for the full tournament schedule.

Euro 2024 schedule: Full list of matches and day-by-day fixtures

22:05 , Chris Wilson

Here’s the replay of Iceland’s goal, with some great work by Thorsteinsson.

FT: England 0-1 Iceland

21:55 , Chris Wilson

Anthony Gordon was first in front of the Channel 4 cameras.

He says that “a bit of a lack of quality in the final third let us down” on the evening.

“It didn’t go the way we wanted but it’s the bigger picture.

“It’s great practice for us, that’s probably how teams are going to play against us, so the more we play against teams like that and learn to break them down the better.”

When asked if he thinks he may have played his way into the starting eleven, he said: “I hope so. That’s the first time I’ve kicked a ball really for four weeks so I just wanted to run to go into the tournament feeling fit and feeling fresh.”

21:47 , Chris Wilson

FT: England 0-1 Iceland

21:41 , Chris Wilson

So, a famous Wembley win for Iceland to go with their even more famous win against the Three Lions at Euro 2016.

Not a good game for Southgate at all, by any stretch. England were simply disjointed, lacking any sort of cohesion in attack, and were weak in defence when it mattered.

It’ll be different come the opening game on 16 June, when there’s something important on the line, but that was not a performance that will fill any England fan with confidence.

FULL-TIME! England 0-1 Iceland

21:38 , Chris Wilson

95 mins: FULL-TIME! Mainoo wins the ball back and threads it through to Toney, who is brought down. Maybe one more chance for England?

It’s not to be, as the referee blows the final whistle and Iceland have their first ever win at Wembley!

England 0-1 Iceland

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94 mins: Eze plays in a cross that is narrowly taken off the head of Saka at the back post. England recycle possession and it comes to Alexander-Arnold on the edge of the box. He drives in and hits the cross across goal, and it’s deflected behind for a corner.

Gomez hits it wide in what may well be the last meaningful action of the game.

England 0-1 Iceland

21:35 , Chris Wilson

92 mins: Not a bad idea from Alexander-Arnold to try and feed in Saka, but the Arsenal man misjudges the pass.

Iceland bring on Lunddal Fridriksson for Thorsteinsson.

England 0-1 Iceland

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91 mins: A nice idea from Rice as he hooks a ball through to Saka, but the Arsenal man was offside just before Mainoo half-volleyed a shot wide.

England 0-1 Iceland

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90 mins: There’ll be five minutes added on. Five minutes for England to salvage result in a home friendly against Iceland.

Alexander-Arnold fizzes in a cross but it’s cleared.

21:32 , Chris Wilson

88 mins: England are lacking any cohesion in attack as the game approaches 90 minutes, with another cross ending up in the arms of Valdimarsson.

England 0-1 Iceland

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86 mins: Many heading for the exit already, and you can’t blame them.

England 0-1 Iceland

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85 mins: Saka tries to hit a cross to Eze at the back post, but it overruns and is out for a goal kick.

England 0-1 Iceland

21:26 , Chris Wilson

82 mins: Iceland make changes, as Bergmann Johannesson and Sigurdsson come on for Haraldsson and Gudmunds­son.

Mainoo is the latest to hit a long-range effort over the bar.

England 0-1 Iceland

21:24 , Chris Wilson

80 mins: A perfectly weighted volleyed pass from Rice sets Saka through on the right, but he’s taken down by the sliding challenge from Finnsson, who’s booked.

Alexander-Arnold hits the out-swinging delivery, but the ‘keeper palms it away.

England 0-1 Iceland

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79 mins: Toney heads over from Alexander-Arnold’s delivery.

Now Iceland are preparing some changes.

England 0-1 Iceland

21:21 , Chris Wilson

77 mins: Iceland have had the better of the chances in the second half so far. Haraldsson is booked for dragging down Mainoo as England countered.

England 0-1 Iceland

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76 mins: Cole Palmer comes off for Ebere Eze, though Guehi stays on for some reason.

England 0-1 Iceland

21:18 , Chris Wilson

74 mins: Iceland have an easy route through in-behind the England defence again, this time with another simple ball over the top, and Alexander-Arnold does well to track back. From the corner, Ramsdale does well to tip a looping volley over the bar.

England 0-1 Iceland

21:16 , Chris Wilson

71 mins: Guehi eventually gets back on his feet, and he’s okay to carry on for now.

England 0-1 Iceland

21:13 , Chris Wilson

69 mins: Guehi is down briefly as he takes the full force of a long-range shot in the head. He’ll likely have to come off, both for concussion and ‘squad precaution’ reasons.

England 0-1 Iceland

21:11 , Chris Wilson

68 mins: Great play from Alexander-Arnold as Rice finds him down the right wing on the overlap, and the full-back cuts a precise ball back to Toney. The Brentford man hits it into the ground a bit and it goes wide.

England 0-1 Iceland

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66 mins: Iceland win a corner and it’s a dangerous delivery which Ramsdale hesitates to collect, but he makes himself big on the line to save the header. Another Iceland change goes begging.

England 0-1 Iceland

21:09 , Chris Wilson

64 mins: England make four subs. Walker, Trippier, Gordon and Kane come off for Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Bukayo Saka and Ivan Toney.

Straight away, Toney has half a shout for a penalty, but it was hopeful as he went down under the challenge in the box.

England 0-1 Iceland

21:07 , Chris Wilson

63 mins: CLOSE! England go with the high line on halfway and Iceland beat the offside trap, with Kyle Walker guilty of playing them onside.

They drive towards the box it’s squared to the goalscorer, Thorsteinsson, who stumbles as he hits it and scuffs the shot wide!

Iceland should be 2-0 up.

England 0-1 Iceland

21:05 , Chris Wilson

62 mins: Iceland continue to close England down well and keep it tight in the box. England are preparing a quadruple change.

England 0-1 Iceland

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60 mins: Too many bodies in the box as Rice feeds it through to Foden. No way through yet for England.

England 0-1 Iceland

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59 mins: Gordon cuts back outside and swings a cross in, but it’s too deep and goes out for a goal kick. Looks like Southgate is preparing some sibs.

England 0-1 Iceland

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57 mins: Too easy for Iceland to create an opportunity there, as they knock it down from the long ball and Gudjohnsen hits a half-volley straight at Ramsdale.

England 0-1 Iceland

20:59 , Chris Wilson

55 mins: The commentary team are coming back to that early challenge on John Stones, when his ankle got tangled under a body in the tackle, and asking whether his substitution was enforced or precautionary.

No official word so far.

England 0-1 Iceland

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53 mins: CLOSE! How are England not level?

Rice slips a through ball into the middle of the box and it fools the Iceland defenders before running to Cole Palmer. He’s one-on-one with the ‘keeper and he drags it past him, but he chooses not to shoot and eventually his cross goes out for a corner.

England 0-1 Iceland

20:54 , Chris Wilson

50 mins: Iceland win it back on the edge of their own area, and Gudmundsson tries to release Gudjohnsen early, but Konsa cuts it out.

Right after, Kane plays a brilliant ball with the outside of his foot to Palmer, who’d made the diagonal run, and he brings it down before unleashing a shot into the side-netting.

England 0-1 Iceland

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48 mins: CLOSE! Lovely combination from England as Mainoo slips it through to Foden, who feeds it on to Gordon. The Newcastle winger cuts it back to Foden near the edge of the area, and his low shot goes narrowly wide of the far post.

Much better from the home side.

England 0-1 Iceland

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46 mins: An early chance for England as Gordon receives the pass on the left and fizzes a cross towards Kane, who gets something on it but can’t direct it goalwards.

KICK-OFF! England 0-1 Iceland

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KICK-OFF! Iceland get the second half started.

HT: England 0-1 Iceland

20:47 , Chris Wilson

The teams are back in the tunnel as the second half looms.

It was only the first half of a friendly, so you can’t make any concrete conclusions yet, but Southgate won’t be happy with England’s end product.

Ezri Konsa comes on for John Stones at half-time.

HT: England 0-1 Iceland

20:42 , Chris Wilson

HT: England 0-1 Iceland

20:38 , Chris Wilson

An interesting half for all the wrong reasons, really.

England should be level in fairness, with Harry Kane missing a chance that he probably converts nine out of ten times. But overall England haven’t carved out enough chances against an Iceland side that has been happy to sit back deep.

And on the two occasions where the away side have countered at pace, England have conceded a goal one and a great chance on the other.

England 0-1 Iceland

20:33 , Chris Wilson

HALF-TIME! Another decent chance for Iceland. Thorsteinsson wins the ball off Palmer near the England box and drives into the area before cutting the ball back to Traustason. Guehi makes a great block to turn the shot behind for a corner.

England clear, and Ingason is then booked for bringing down Guehi as the home side countered. Shortly after, the referee brings an interesting half to an end.

England 0-1 Iceland

20:30 , Chris Wilson

43 mins: An excellent touch from Gordon as he brings the long pass down from over his shoulder. His surges into the box beforer his cross is turned behind for a corner.

Rice’s corner is too close to the goalkeeper.

England 0-1 Iceland

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41 mins: Iceland try the early through ball into the space behind the defence, but Ramsdale sweeps it up well. The away side are enjoying a bit of possession as we approach half-time.

England 0-1 Iceland

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40 mins: Gordon beats one man down the left and swings in a cross, but it’s headed away fairly easily.

England 0-1 Iceland

20:24 , Chris Wilson

37 mins: Iceland try to press high but England escape it easily, with Stones finding Mainoo in acres of space. Rice tries to thread a reverse pass through, but it’s intercepted, and moments later Kyle Walker fires a wild cross out for a throw on the other side.

20:22 , Chris Wilson

34 mins: Lovely skill from Foden as he takes a first-time flick to get it through the legs of the defender, but England can’t capitalise.

The home side have the ball once more though, with Palmer beating his man before his cross is cleared.

England 0-1 Iceland

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33 mins: Palmer appears on the left now and wins a corner. Rice delivers an inviting ball, but Iceland manage to clear.

England 0-1 Iceland

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31 mins: First Gordon and now Trippier. Both are caught offside as they try to provide width down the left.

England 0-1 Iceland

20:15 , Chris Wilson

28 mins: CLOSE!Lovely from England. Rice collects on the edge of the box and spreads it to Palmer on the right. The Chelsea man cuts back inside and clips an inch-perfect ball into Kane, who’s around six yards out, but the captain makes contact with his shin and fires the volley over the bar!

England 0-1 Iceland

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26 mins: Guehi does really well to win the high ball as he’s being dragged down, and England have it once again. An exercise in patience here at the moment.

England 0-1 Iceland

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24 mins: England are just keeping possession at the moment, probing but not yet trying to force a way through the Iceland defence. Even Declan Rice is getting plenty of the ball near the edge of the box.

England 0-1 Iceland

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22 mins: Nice idea from England, with Rice collecting the ball outside the box and trying to chip a through ball into Kane, but the Bayern striker just misses getting his foot onto the end of it.

England 0-1 Iceland

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21 mins: Mainoo slips through a pass to Foden, who’d made the diagonal run into the box, but the City man can only poke his shot straight at the ‘keeper.

England 0-1 Iceland

20:05 , Chris Wilson

19 mins: Harry Kane does well to slide in and win possession, and England recycle it back to Guehi.

England lose it soon after though, with Gordon and Foden not on the same wavelength as the City man tried to thread a pass through.

England 0-1 Iceland

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16 mins: CLOSE! A good opportunity for England.

Iceland pass it back towards Valdimarsson in goal. He takes his time with the clearance and Rice charges him down, and the Iceland ‘keeper can only clear as far as Cole Palmer in the box. The Chelsea man takes it down on his chest and volleys towards goal, but Traustason blocks it.

England 0-1 Iceland

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14 mins: England go in search of the instant equaliser, and Gordon cuts inside in a similar way to Thorsteinsson, but he fires his shot over the bar.

GOAL! England 0-1 Iceland

20:00 , Chris Wilson

12 mins: GOAL! And Iceland lead from nowhere!

Haraldsson collects it in midfield and surges towards the England box. He plays it on to Thorsteinsson, who cuts back inside and hits a shot towards the near post. It goes through the legs of John Stones and beats Ramsdale low to his right!

England 0-0 Iceland

19:57 , Chris Wilson

10 mins: Gordon gets away down the left, burning the full-back for pace, but his ball into the box is poor.

England 0-0 Iceland

19:55 , Chris Wilson

8 mins: Palmer and Foden do well to keep possession on the outside of the box before Kane gets in behind and tries to clip in a cross, but it’s deflected behind for a corner.

England 0-0 Iceland

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6 mins: Lovely from Foden as he collects it near halfway and pings a ball out wide to the overlapping Trippier, but England waste the crossing opportunity.

England 0-0 Iceland

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5 mins: Walker does well to track back to a ball over the top from Iceland, but his pass back to Ramsdale has a little too much on it. Ramsdale manages to clear though.

England 0-0 Iceland

19:51 , Chris Wilson

4 mins: Rice tries to slip it through to Palmer in the box, but it runs out of play.

England are trying things from early on here, unlike earlier in the week against Bosnia.

England 0-0 Iceland

19:49 , Chris Wilson

3 mins: Stones is moving okay as England keep possession. Palmer receives the pass from Gordon down the left, but there’s nobody there to meet his cross.

England 0-0 Iceland

19:48 , Chris Wilson

1 min: John Stones gets in a tangle near halfway, with his ankle getting caught, and he’s down for a brief, worrying moment.

He’s up and okay for now though.

KICK-OFF! England 0-0 Iceland

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KICK-OFF! England take kick-off, with Cole Palmer getting us started.

England vs Iceland LIVE

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Around five minutes until kick-off now, and the teams are out of the tunnel. Plenty of noise in what looks like a sold-out Wembley.

A bit of hush as the national anthems get underway.

Form guide

19:35 , Chris Wilson

Both sides have had mixed form coming into the game, with England having won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five.

The Three Lions finished a straightforward 3-0 game earlier this week against Bosnia, but two friendlies in March, against Belgium and Brazil, ended in a draw and a loss respectively.

The two games before that were England’s final two European Championship qualifiers; they beat Malta 2-0 in their penultimate game before drawing 1-1 with North Macedonia in their final match.

Iceland have won three and drawn two of their last five games, having beaten Honduras and Guatemala 2-0 and 1-0 in friendlies after losing their last Euro 2024 qualification game 2-0 against Portugal.

The Nordic nations entered the play-offs for Euro 2024 – having finished fourht in their group – and beat Israel 4-1 in the first round, before a narrow 2-1 loss to Ukraine meant that they failed to qualify for this summer’s tournament.

Head-to-head

19:27 , Chris Wilson

England and Iceland have met six times, the first of which was a friendly in 1982. That game ended in a 1-1 draw, and that two sides didn’t meet again until 2004, when the Three Lions ran out 6-1 winners thanks to goals from Wayne Rooney (2), Darius Vassell (2), Frank Lampard and Wayne Bridge.

The next game between the two was probably the most famous, when Iceland upset the odds to knock England out of Euro 2016 at the round of 16 stage.

The two most recent meetings came in the Nations League, and both went England’s way, with Southgate’s men recording a 4-0 win at Wembley and a 1-0 win in Reykjavik in 2020.

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And here are some highlight’s of monday’s game against Bosnia and Herzegovina at St. James’ Park.

A tidy first England goal for Cole Palmer.

And a lovely finish from Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Is England vs Iceland on TV?

19:15 , Chris Wilson

With around 30 minutes to go until kick-off, a reminder of how you can watch tonight’s game.

The match takes place at Wembley, with kick off at 7.45pm BST. The game will be broadcast on Channel 4, with coverage starting at 7pm. Subscribers can stream the game via Channel 4’s website and app free of charge, with a sign-up via email all that is needed.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

Find out all you need to know about tonight’s game below.

Is England vs Iceland on TV? Channel, kick-off time and how to watch

England vs Iceland LIVE

19:10 , Chris Wilson

A throwback to a fine Wayne Rooney effort against tonight’s opponents in 2004. England won 6-1 in a warm-up match for that year’s European Championships in Portugal.

Odds & Prediction

19:00 , Chris Wilson

Odds

England win 1/12

Draw 7/1

Iceland win 20/1

Prediction

Gareth Southgate should name a mixed side of first choice picks and fringe players he is thinking about taking to the Euros. Whoever takes to the field at Wembley will be hoping to impress and there is enough quality in England’s squad to get the job done comfortably. Iceland will pose more of a threat to the Three Lions’ defence but up top England should thrive and take some confidence with them into the tournament. England 3-0 Iceland.

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Some photos of the squad at Wembley ahead of kick-off at 7.45pm BST.

Team news

18:49 , Chris Wilson

An interesting selection from Gareth Southgate. In goal, he’s swapped his first- and second-choice ‘keepers, but you’d think that back four will likely be the one that starts the first game against Serbia on 16 June (as Luke Shaw is touted to return only in time for the second group game against Denmark).

In midfield, Declan Rice is a guaranteed starter – does today’s line-up give an insight into Southgate’s thinking in the middle of the pitch? Will he start Kobbie Mainoo while bringing in Jude Bellingham in place of Cole Palmer? It would certainly tally with some fan and expert opinions, though the England boss has repeatedly looked like he’ll favour Conor Gallagher in that third midfielder spot.

In attack, Foden and Kane will certainly keep their places, and you’d have to expect Gordon to drop to the bench in favour of Saka once the Arsenal man has been properly rested.

Nevertheless, an interesting insight into Southgate’s thinking. The substitutions he makes will arguably be even more intriguing.

Team news

18:42 , Chris Wilson

Gareth Southgate makes eight changes to the side that beat Bosnia and Herzegovina at the beginning of the week, having decided on his final 26-man squad yesterday.

In goal, Aaron Ramsdale comes in for Jordan Pickford, while in defence, Manchester City duo John Stones and Kyle Walker replace Ezri Konsa and Lewis Dunk.

Declan Rice and Kobbie Mainoo come into midfield, with Conor Gallagher and Trent Alexander-Arnold moving to the bench.

Phil Foden and Anthony Gordon are chosen in attack in place of Ebere Eze and Jarrod Bowen, while captain Harry Kane starts ahead of Ollie Watkins in attack.

Line-ups

18:35 , Chris Wilson

Iceland XI: Valdimarsson; Anderson, Ingason, Gretarsson, Finnsson; Thorsteinsson, Gudmundsson, Traustason, Haraldsson; Gudjohnsen, Bjarkason.

18:33 , Chris Wilson

ENGLAND XI: Ramsdale; Walker, Stone, Guehi, Tripper; Rice, Mainoo; Foden, Palmer, Gordon; Kane. SUBS: Pickford, Henderson, Trafford, Gomez, Quansah, Konsa, Gallagher, Toney, Watkins, Alexander-Arnold, Bowen, Eze, Wharton, Saka.

Predicted line-ups

18:25 , Chris Wilson

England XI: Ramsdale; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Gomez; Alexander-Arnold, Rice; Saka, Foden, Palmer; Toney.

Iceland XI: Valdimarsson; Sampsted, Ingason, Gretarsson, Thorarinsson; Thorsteinsson, Gudmundsson, Traustason, Haraldsson; Gudjohnsen, Oskarsson.

Mainoo, Wharton, Alexander-Arnold? Solving England’s midfield muddle is a step into the unknown

18:20 , Mike Jones

There have been 77 England matches since Trent Alexander-Arnolddebuted in 2018. If he had played in them all, he would be level on caps already with Terry Butcher, wedged between John Terry and Tom Finney. Instead, he has 24 international appearances to his name, the same as Bert Williams and Paul Madeley.

An attempt to reinvent Alexander-Arnold as a midfielder – first criticised by Jurgen Klopp, then adopted – may have been a consequence of his preference for Kyle Walker and Trippier’s defensive qualities but is a bid to unleash a creator.

It is, though, something of a voyage into uncharted territory for Southgate and Alexander-Arnold alike. The Merseysider missed the March friendlies against Brazil and Belgium with injury – Southgate’s selectorial choices are not the only reason why he has so few caps – and when he scored against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday, it was with a volley that displayed his technical expertise. But only after beginning in midfield and later reverting to right-back.

Alexander-Arnold can play passes others cannot imagine, let alone execute. He can add a dimension. But he is learning on the job. Even the rookies Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton have more positional experience; they are midfielders by trade. The relatively battle-hardened Conor Gallagher has come to seem the safe option. For Alexander-Arnold, the unproven element is whether he can operate as a midfielder in a defining tournament game, whether he has the positional acumen to shield the defence when out of possession.

Solving England’s midfield muddle is a step into the unknown

The answer to England’s biggest Euro 2024 conundrum? Trent Alexander-Arnold

18:10 , Mike Jones

If you missed Trent Alexander Arnold’s performance on Monday night, picture Marco van Basten volleying the skin off a high ball from a tight angle into the far corner; picture Hakim Ziyech swerving a 60-yard pass onto his teammate’s big toe; picture Lionel Messi’s invisible throughball to slice open Netherlands. Well, Alexander-Arnold did all of that in one night.

Even allowing for a little journalistic hyperbole, and noting that he was up against the plucky but toothless Bosnia and Herzegovina in a friendly, this felt significant.

England’s 3-0 win didn’t tell us much that we didn’t already know. But what it did show was the effect of Alexander-Arnold as a No 6, an intriguing solution to Gareth Southgate’s conundrum of who to play alongside Declan Rice behind England’s preferred No 10, Jude Bellingham.

Deployed there – next to Conor Gallagher with Rice rested – Alexander-Arnold played at a walking pace Andrea Pirlo would be proud of, socks rolled down, using every bevel of his boot to spray passes to far-flung corners of the pitch. For much of the game he stood, scanned and sent the ball as far as his throwing leg could in a performance to be measured not by distance run but yards gained.

The answer to England’s biggest Euro 2024 conundrum? Trent Alexander-Arnold

Gareth Southgate looks to prize versatility over speciality with Ezri Konsa a big winner for England

18:00 , Chris Wilson

With the news of the squad announcement, we can begin to look into the rationale behind Southgate’s decisions, and the potential fixes to his various selection headaches – starting with the back four.

On Monday, Ezri Konsa’s third position of the night was his first-choice role. He ended up at centre-back. He started off at right-back, while the two specialist right-backs in the England side, Kieran Trippier and Trent Alexander-Arnold, played on the left and in midfield respectively. When Konsa went forward at set-pieces, he earned a penalty that Cole Palmer scored, inadvertently denied Jarrod Bowen a goal and instead led to Harry Kane finding the net. And yet the most significant post of Konsa’s evening was another altogether, one where he is rarely seen: left-back.

Simply the fact he moved there indicated an importance in Gareth Southgate’s planning.

With England’s lone bona fide left-back Luke Shaw injured and a doubt for Euro 2024, with Trippier looking the likeliest deputy, Konsa’s odd-job man status against Bosnia and Herzegovina was highly revealing. He could be an emergency left-back in Southgate’s planning. His chances of playing on the right are increased if Trippier and Alexander-Arnold are used elsewhere.

A newcomer has come to look very probable to take up a place in England’s eventual 26-man squad. Joe Gomez may have finished the game at left-back but despite rather more experience in a position he has played, and played well, for much of winter for Liverpool, he looks behind Konsa, another defensive jack of all trades.

Southgate prizes versatility over speciality with Konsa a big winner for England

Ask Miguel Delaney anything as Gareth Southgate selects his final 26 man squad for Euro 2024

17:50 , Mike Jones

Miguel Delaney is here to chat tactics and answer your questions after Gareth Southgate named his final England squad

He wans to hear who you think should be on the plane to Germany — and whether you agree with Southgate’s picks. He’ll share his thoughts and theories with you in the comments.

He’s also keen to hear your assessment of Southgate’s tactics and what you make of the team during the match against Iceland.

If you have any thoughts or a question for Miguel, submit them now, or when hes join you live at 7pm on Friday 7 June for the “Ask Me Anything” event.

Ask our chief football writer anything as England’s Euro squad face Iceland

The problem facing Jack Grealish as he reaches crossroads after England cull

17:40 , Chris Wilson

Gareth Southgate was discussing a ruthless decision to drop a player from a Manchester club ahead of Euro 2024. The rise of other left wingers counted against him. “I feel players in the same area of the pitch have had better seasons, it’s as simple as that,” he said. Two weeks ago, actually, in that it was his explanation for the omission of Marcus Rashford from his 33-man training squad.

It was true up to a point. Jack Grealish was in it and his season was scarcely any more of a triumph than Rashford’s, even if Manchester City were found 31 points above their neighbours in the table. The reprieve lasted a fortnight. When the final cut came, when 33 were reduced to 26, Grealish was culled.

Each may deem himself unlucky in one respect: when England were short of compelling alternatives at left-back, holding midfield and central defence, they were elbowed out when four in-form upstarts forced their way into the squad: Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon, Eberechi Eze and Jarrod Bowen did not quite all come from nowhere but they amounted to a pincer movement, overwhelming the established order of Grealish and Rashford.

But the problem rests with Grealish the footballer. His three seasons at City have been littered with trophies. On a personal level, however, only one – 2022-23 – ranks as a triumph. This year, he only had two brief bursts of form, in December and early April. He finished the campaign as an unused substitute, Jeremy Doku’s dynamism was preferred as the substitute sent on to try and change the FA Cup final.

If it suited City in their treble-winning season that Guardiola had made the maverick Grealish an altogether duller footballer, now it may not benefit anyone.

The problem facing Jack Grealish as he reaches crossroads after England cull

Gareth Southgate promises ‘different’ England after ruthless Euro 2024 squad decisions

17:30 , Chris Wilson

Gareth Southgate has promised a “different” England, with “different strategies”, after picking one of the boldest and youngest squads in both Euro 2024 and the national team’s history. With 12 players picked for their first ever tournament, the manager took the ruthless decision to cut “devastated” Manchester City playmaker Jack Grealish. Southgate admitted this was one of his most difficult tournament squads to pick, especially as it involved letting down so many stalwarts. Harry Maguirealso misses out due to a calf injury, which has only meant further inexperience in defensive positions.

“There’s some disappointment today but there’ll be a lot of excitement about players we’ve selected and to see some of the players who mean we’ve got a different look about us in terms of how we play, and I think people will be captivated by that,” Southgate said, “As I’ve said, I’m trying to conduct myself respectfully because of the players who have gone today. But equally I’m hugely excited about the squad we’ve picked.”

“I spoke to some of the boys last night and some today. As early as we were able to once we had made decisions. Once we had made clear decisions we tried to make those decisions as quickly as we could really.”

Southgate promises ‘different’ England after ruthless Euro 2024 squad decisions

England’s Euro 2024 squad: Who’s on the plane and who has missed out?

17:15 , Chris Wilson

So after that news, Gareth Southgate will submit the Engand squad for Euro 2024 on Friday night, before its official announcement on Saturday.

The manager has cut a raft of high-profile names, having already axed Marcus Rashford, Jordan Henderson and Ben Chilwell from his training squad.

Emerging talent such as Adam Wharton, his Crystal Palace teammate Eberechi Eze and Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon are all set to make the final squad.

England beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0 St James’ Park on Monday, and will play Iceland at Wembley on Friday in their last warm-up before the tournament. The squad must be submitted to Uefa by midnight after the game, before the Football Association announces the 26 who made the cut for the European Championship in Germany the following day.

Southgate’s side are one of the favourites to lift the trophy on 14 July, given their recent record in major tournaments and the outstanding formof their attacking players this season including Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden.

Below is a closer look at who is heading to the Euros, and who has missed out.

England’s Euro 2024 squad: Who’s on the plane and who has missed out?

Gareth Southgate explains reasons for Jack Grealish and James Maddison’s England squad omissions

17:00 , Chris Wilson

Addressing the squad announcement at a press conference, Southgate said the reason Grealish and Maddison had not been included was because other players had better seasons.

“All the players took the news really respectfully,” said Southgate, “Of course, all players will believe they should be in and that’s why they are top players.

“They have that self-belief and mindset, but the fact is we have some players who have been playing extremely well all season in the league.

“We just feel other players had stronger seasons, particularly in the last six months or so. Attacking areas, in particular, we’re blessed with a lot of options, all slightly different.

“Madders and Jack both give us something different as well. They’ve been tough calls, calls that we as a group have gone over and over and over. We back our decisions, but recognise we could have gone a different route.”

Southgate explains reasons for dropping Grealish and Maddison from England squad

Jack Grealish, Harry Maguire and James Maddison cut from England Euro 2024 squad

16:45 , Chris Wilson

The big news from the last few days is that Jack Grealish and James Maddison have missed the cut for England’s Euro 2024 squad, with the long-serving Harry Maguire failing in his battle to be fit for Germany.

Gareth Southgate named an initial 33-man training squad that needed trimming to 26 players by 11pm on Friday, just over an hour after the final friendly against Iceland finishes.

But rather than wait until Uefa’s deadline, the England boss decided to announce the final cut on the eve of the Wembley send-off.

Grealish, Maguire and Maddison cut from final England Euro 2024 squad

Early team news

16:30 , Chris Wilson

Gareth Southgate is still shuffling his pack as players attempt to recover from injury with Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw out of action. Anthony Gordon may be risked as a second half substitute but only if he is in the manager’s plans to take to Euro 2024.

Bukayo Saka and John Stones are back after their precautionary rest periods and should play a part in the game while Phil Foden, Kobbie Mainoo and Kyle Walker are all available for selection. After winning the Champions League with Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham has joined up with the squad but is likely to miss the match as Southgate will want him rested.

One interesting choice for the England boss is who will sub in at centre-back for Maguire. Marc Guehi is the obvious pick but Southgate may be tempted to offer Lewis Dunk or Ezri Konsa a pick ahead of the first game of the tournament.

Is England vs Iceland on TV? Channel, kick-off time and how to watch Euro 2024 warm-up tonight

16:15 , Chris Wilson

Tonight’s match takes place at Wembley, with kick off at 7.45pm BST. It will be broadcast on Channel 4, with coverage starting at 7pm.

Subscribers can also stream the game via Channel 4’s website and app free of charge, with a sign-up via email all that is needed.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

Find out everything you need to know about the game below.

Is England vs Iceland on TV? Channel, kick-off time and how to watch

England vs Iceland LIVE

16:02 , Karl Matchett

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live text coverage of tonight’s match between England and Iceland.

This is the Three Lions’ final warm-up match before flying to Germany for Euro 2024, with Gareth Southgate’s squad boarding the plane on Monday ahead of spending a week to acclimatise to their base camp ahead of their first match of the tournament versus Serbia.

The England boss has already announced the squad that will take part in the competition with James Maddison is one of the bigger names to miss out. Jack Grealish’s omission meanwhile took most people by surprise while Harry Maguire hasn’t recovered from injury in time to feature.

The Three Lions took on Bosnia and Herzegovina earlier this week running out 3-0 winners at St. James’ Park with goals for Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Kane. An experimental line-up saw Alexander-Arnold start alongside Conor Gallagher in midfield but it is expected Southgate will go with a more traditional looking side against Iceland to get some playing time in for his first choice picks.