The England debutant showed only flashes of craft in a game where graft was the deciding factor
Iceland in September: still cold enough to give you the shivers. Four years on from the Gothic horrors of Nice 2016 England came to Reykjavik looking for catharsis. In the event they got … well, what exactly?
Raheem Sterling’s late penalty ensured England took all three points from what was a slow-burn, at times rather painful experience. Gareth Southgate’s team were agreeably dogged, dredging up the sheer effort of will required to win away from home, through a fug of rust, against fiercely committed opponents. On a sunny mid-Atlantic afternoon on Uefa’s most westerly outcrop England had come clanking out of the blocks like a team with fishing weights in their boots, 10-month hangover still lurking. Sterling basically carried them through this, his influence growing as the game wore on to its haggard conclusion, which saw Iceland also miss a penalty in added time.
Continue reading…The England debutant showed only flashes of craft in a game where graft was the deciding factorIceland in September: still cold enough to give you the shivers. Four years on from the Gothic horrors of Nice 2016 England came to Reykjavik looking for catharsis. In the event they got … well, what exactly?Raheem Sterling’s late penalty ensured England took all three points from what was a slow-burn, at times rather painful experience. Gareth Southgate’s team were agreeably dogged, dredging up the sheer effort of will required to win away from home, through a fug of rust, against fiercely committed opponents. On a sunny mid-Atlantic afternoon on Uefa’s most westerly outcrop England had come clanking out of the blocks like a team with fishing weights in their boots, 10-month hangover still lurking. Sterling basically carried them through this, his influence growing as the game wore on to its haggard conclusion, which saw Iceland also miss a penalty in added time. Continue reading…
