England loses 2-1 to Iceland in shock defeat

Iceland pulled off one of the biggest shocks in European Championship history by beating England 2-1 in the round of 16 on Monday, continuing the astonishing run of the smallest nation at the tournament.

England slumped to its most embarrassing loss in a generation after taking the lead in the fourth minute through Wayne Rooney’s penalty.

Ragnar Sigurdsson and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson took advantage of defensive shortcomings by England to put Iceland ahead by the 18th minute, and the Icelanders defended superbly in the second half to earn the biggest victory in their history and a quarterfinal match against France in Saint-Denis.

“They thought that this would be a walk in the park,” Sigurdsson said. “We had faith in our ability.”

Iceland, a country of 330,000 people, is featuring in its first ever major tournament.

It proved to the last match of the four-year reign of England coach Roy Hodgson, whose contract was up after the tournament anyway. “Now is the time for someone else to oversee the progress of this young, hungry and extremely talented group of players,” Hodgson said. “They have been fantastic.”

The England fans who booed the team off at halftime and fulltime will likely have a different opinion.

England’s players head home early again for another post-tournament inquest. Their players slumped to the ground in front of their jeering fans after the final whistle, their heads in their hands.