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Iceland v England: Women’s World Cup 2027 qualifier – as it happened | Women’s World Cup 2027 qualifiers
Key events
That’s all from me today. Check out Suzanne Wrack’s match report.
Here’s a message from Kári Tulinius:
Being from a less than populous nation, you can’t rely on having quality anywhere in your national team. If there’s any one position where quality can transform a side’s chances, it’s in goal. I know that Iceland won’t be winning trophies, but that we have a brilliant goalkeeper in Cecilía Rúnarsdóttir, or Cessa as she’s known in Iceland, gives us license to dream big.
The opposition goalkeeper also played a pivotal role today. Hannah Hampton kept England in the game towards the end.
Full time: Iceland 0-1 England
England win their 500th game. Sarina Wiegman’s side dominated the first half, but were outplayed in the second. Iceland gave it a real go, bombarding England’s penalty area with long throws and corners. Ultimately, they couldn’t get an equaliser despite coming close a couple of times. England consolidate their position at the top of the table with another three points.
90+5 min: England are running down the clock now. All they need to do is keep the ball.
90+2 min: Wow! Jessen is through on goal and rounds Hampton, but the angle is tight and she can’t quite squeeze the ball into the back of the net.
90 min: There will be five minutes of additional time.
88 min: Jess Carter is on for Esme Morgan to shore things up at the back.
85 min: Substitute Arna Eiríksdóttir swings in a corner onto the head of one of the Iceland forwards. Hampton makes another crucial save before she’s bundled over by Jónsdóttir.
84 min: Iceland come at England again and win a corner late in the game.
83 min: All the momentum is with Iceland at the moment. Jóhannsdóttir shoots from the edge of the area and forces Hampton into an awkward save.
82 min: Iceland have another huge chance. Jónsdóttir causes more problems with her long throws and it falls to Alexandra Jóhannsdóttir. The midfielder shots from six yards out and Hampton makes an important save.
79 min: How has that stayed out! Jónsdóttir races past Bronze with ease and cuts the ball back for Jessen. The Iceland striker connects with it and hits the post with her strike. The ball still isn’t quite clear and Zomers’ shot is blocked by Hampton from six yards out.
77 min: Niamh Charles is on for Alex Greenwood.
75 min: Huge chance for Sandra Jessen! She takes the ball down from a cross and hits it straight at Hampton from point blank range. The England keeper makes a tremendous save before the offside flag goes up.
72 min: Walsh splits the Iceland defence with a delicious ball through to Park. Park tries to pick out a teammate with a cutback, but no one can connect with it.
69 min: Hemp does brilliantly on the left to get away from the defender. She clips the ball into the box for Beth Mead to attack. The Arsenal winger is first to the ball and heads it low to Rúnarsdóttir’s right.
67 min: Russo cuts the ball back to Stanway on the right, but the Bayern Munich midfielder blazes the ball over the bar.
65 min: England are starting to find their rhythm again. Greenwood whips in a cross, but it’s collected by the goalkeeper.
62 min: Glódís Viggósdóttir heads the ball wide from a corner. These are nervy moments for England. Beth Mead and Jess Park are on for Lauren James and Laura Blindkilde Brown respectively.
59 min: James lets fly with her left foot on the edge of the box. For a moment I expected a repeat of her stunner against Arsenal in the first leg of the Champions League quarter final. Instead, the ball sails well over the bar.
57 min: Hampton gives the ball away as England try to play out from the back. Iceland are gradually putting pressure on Sarina Wiegman’s side.
54 min: The second half has been more stop-start than the first. Iceland may sense that this is their best chance cause England problems.
51 min: Iceland are looking much more dangerous this half. They’ve had a number of set piece opportunities, but have failed to really test Hampton thus far.
49 min: Iceland win another set piece. Sædís Heiðarsdóttir whips a free kick in and Hannah Hampton catches the ball.
46 min: Sveindís Jónsdóttir causes problems with her long throw. The ball bounces around in the box before England clear it out for a corner.
Second half
Iceland get us going again. Lotte Wubben-Moy is on for Leah Williamson.
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Half time: Iceland 0-1 England
England are in charge of this game. They’ve had all of the ball and all of the chances, but crucially only have a one goal lead. If Iceland can find an outlet, they can get into this game.
43 min: Great play from England on the left. Keira Walsh of all people finds herself on the touchline and cuts the ball back for Greenwood. Greenwood receives the ball and drives past the fullback before sending in a cross. It’s cleared away for a corner.
38 min: Iceland take their first shot of the game! Dilja Zomers takes the ball down before hitting it wide of the post.
37 min: Russo has another chance. James threads a ball through to her but the England striker hesitates before firing towards Rúnarsdóttir’s near post. It’s easily saved by the Iceland keeper.
36 min: Russo breaks free from the Iceland defenders again and cuts the ball back for a teammate. It’s behind everyone though and the chance is wasted.
30 min: Hannah Hampton has barely had a touch of the ball so far. Iceland are yet to register a shot.
27 min: Alex Greenwood whips in a corner that is half dealt with by the Iceland defenders. The ball falls for her in the box and she fires the ball straight at the keeper.
23 min: Rúnarsdóttir keeps on putting herself under pressure needlessly. The Iceland goalkeeper gives the ball away again and England win a corner.
GOAL! Iceland 0-1 England (Russo, 21)
Lauren Hemp receives the ball brilliantly in her own half and bursts away from the Iceland defenders. Russo makes a run off of Hemp and receives the ball obligingly. The England striker turns and swivels before rifling her shot into the bottom left corner.
18 min: James has been dangerous so far. She beats Gudrún Arnardóttir with a stepover before drilling a cross along the box. It’s cleared away for another corner.
17 min: Emilía Ásgeirsdóttir makes an incredible block. This time it’s Lauren Hemp who is thwarted.
15 min: James plays a great through ball to Russo. The Arsenal striker runs on to it but her shot is blocked and the ball ricochets off her before going out for a goal kick.
12 min: Iceland are defending resolutely. The England forwards are probing but haven’t had a clear-cut opportunity as yet.
7 min: Lauren James glides past a couple of players with ease. She does a quick give-and-go with Russo but the referee blows the whistle for a foul as the England winger uses her strength to nudge one of the Iceland defenders off the ball.
5 min: Almost a huge mistake from Cecilía Rúnarsdóttir! She stumbles over the ball on her goal line and Russo almost punishes her with a tap in. The Iceland goalkeeper eventually manages to poke the ball away from danger.
3 min: England are already dominating possession while Iceland will likely rely on counter attacks and set pieces.
1 min: England have an early half chance. Lucy Bronze delivers a ball into the box and Alessia Russo’s volley is blocked and out for a corner.
Kick off
England get us under way, kicking from right to left.
The two teams are out and singing their respective national anthems.
Here’s some pre-match reading courtesy of Suzanne Wrack.
It’s been a great week for England Women’s football. The U23s won the European Competition title yesterday after they beat Sweden 3-0 in the final.
The Lionesses are warming up in special pre-match shirts to commemorate their 500th game. The shirt is available in black and white and features the Three Lions logo and number 500 inside of a Tudor rose pattern.
Team news
Iceland: Runarsdottir, Arnardottir, Viggosdottir, Sigurdardottir, Heidarsdottir, Hermannsdottir, Johannsdottir, Asgeirsdottir, Jonsdottir, Boama, Zomers
Subs: Ivarsodottir, Birkisdottir, Eiriksdottir, Jessen, Tryggvadottir, Vilhjalmsdottir, Georgsdottir, Eiriksdottir, Olafsdottir Gros, Antonsdottir, Palmadottir, Halldorsdottir
England: Hampton, Bronze, Greenwood, Walsh, Williamson, Morgan, James, Stanway, Russo, Blindkilde Brown, Hemp
Subs: Le Tissier, Moorhouse, Wubben-Moy, Carter, Hinds, Kelly, Kendall, Mead, Park, Roebuck, Charles, Parkinson
Preamble
Hello and welcome to minute-by-minute coverage of Iceland v England in the Women’s World Cup qualifier at the Laugardalsvöllur Stadium.
Today’s game is the Lionesses’ 500th of all time. In the build up to this one, the players have paid tribute to and heard from some of the pioneers who came before them. Lucy Bronze, who has 146 caps for England, said: “It’s crazy in two ways. On the one hand it’s only been 500, but at the same time – oh my God – it’s 500 games.” A win today would maintain a 100% record in Group A3 for Sarina Wiegman’s side as they push for automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup in Brazil.
Iceland need to put in a strong performance to bounce back from their 2-0 defeat against England six weeks ago. Their only win in the group came four days ago in the form of a 1-0 victory over Ukraine. Thorsteinn Halldórsson’s side will take heart from England’s previous struggles against similarly ranked teams such as Belgium and Portugal.
Kick off is at 5:30pm BST. Send me an email with your thoughts and keep refreshing the page for updates.
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
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