Iceland 0-1 England: Player Ratings as the Lions scrape through on a stoppage-time penalty | UEFA Nations League 2020-21
In a game where there was more entertainment in the last five minutes than there was for the entirety of the first 90, England rode their luck to just about clinch 3 points and kick off their UEFA Nations League 2020-21 campaign with a win.
The match was severely short of entertainment and notable incidents as it looked set to end goalless till England was gifted a penalty in the 89th minute. Iceland came real close to winning back the point they lost so close to the end of the game but Bjarnason failed to convert from the spot after Joe Gomez brought down Gudmundsson inside the area.
Without further ado, let's take a look at how the England players fared against Iceland.
England Player Ratings
Jordan Pickford - 6/10
The England no. 1 had nearly next to nothing to do. Was forced into action in stoppage time but didn't have to make a save from the penalty as Bjarnason failed to hit the target.
Kyle Walker - 3/10
Walker had a forgettable outing and his frustration boiled over in the 71st minute and was rightly shown his second yellow card of the game.
Joe Gomez - 6/10
The Liverpool man was an assured presence at the back for the greater part of the game for the Three Lions and was on call to step up and thwart Icelands forays into the final third. Showcased good distribution as well and was perhaps more creative than England's midfield today. However, he conceded a silly penalty in stoppage time and was lucky to be let off as it wasn't converted.
Eric Dier- 6/10
Played as a centre-back and dispensed his duties with ease. Led the England side wearing the captain's armband in the final quarter of the game.
Kieren Trippier - 5/10
Operated down the left-flank today and failed to contribute anything of note all game long but Trippier can be excused as he was played out of position.
Declan Rice - 5/10
Put in an average display in front of the defenders. Missed a decent chance off a Jadon Sancho cut-back early in the game and was nowhere near his best.
J Ward-Prowse - 4/10
Failed to make any sort of impression in the centre of the pitch. He can whip a good ball in from set-pieces but Ward-Prowse did not do anything to justify his selection amid calls for Jack Grealish to be included in the England setup.
Phil Foden - 5/10
Failed to leave his mark on the game. Couldn't find space in the centre and failed to create for the talented attackers in front of him.
Jadon Sancho - 6/10
Looked the most likely candidate to make the difference. Full of energy and looking to make things happen, Sancho was let down by the quality of his final product today. He was eventually replaced by Trent-Alexander Arnold in the 73 minute.
Raheem Sterling - 7/10
Wasn't at his ebullient best and struggled to make those signature runs into the box. He did become more threatening as the Iceland defenders started to slow down and won the penalty after his shot was handled by Ingason. Slotted home the penalty that he won and made the difference.
Harry Kane - 5/10
The England captain was unfortunate to have an early goal chalked off to a wrong offside call. The Spurs frontman struggled to make much of an impact and was constantly closed down by the Iceland defenders.
Substitutes
Danny Ings - 5/10
Ings wasn't on the pitch for long and didn't get involved enough to affect the game.
Trent-Alexander Arnold - N/A
Came on after Kyle Walker was sent off and didn't do much. Can't be faulted as he was playing for a side that was already down to 10 men.
Mason Greenwood - N/A
Looked positive on the ball but didn't really spend enough time on the pitch to make an impact.