Wayne Rooney admits England need to be more clinical if they are to beat Iceland

By Rory O'Callaghan

Image: Wayne Rooney says England need to take their chances against Iceland

Wayne Rooney says England's strikers need to be more clinical when they face Iceland in the last-16 of Euro 2016 on Monday.

Roy Hodgson's side dominated possession in all three of their Group B matches but finished second in the table after being held to disappointing draws by Russia and Slovakia.

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England are likely to face another stubborn defence against Iceland, who are yet to lose a match at the tournament.

However, Rooney expects England's strikers to convert their chances when the two sides meet at the Allianz Riviera in Nice.  

"I think sometimes that's football, it just happens," said the England captain. "I think on the other side of the coin, you can be positive.

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Image: England were held to a goalless draw by Slovakia in their final group game at Euro 2016

"We've dominated the three games we've played, we haven't always done that. We know if we keep getting chances, we'll score goals.

"I'm sure tomorrow [Monday] we'll get those chances and we'll need to take them. We're in the knockout stages of the tournament and we haven't got much more time to be wasteful."

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England head into the match as strong favourites against a country with a population roughly the same as Coventry.

"Fair play to Iceland, they've done well in this tournament and are a difficult team to break down," Rooney said.

"We'll have to be at our best to win, we know that. We'll have to move the ball quickly and take our chances when they come. We respect Iceland and I think the size of the country is just a number.

Image: Rooney is yet to score at this summer's tournament

"They put the same amount of players on the pitch as we do so it's a fair game in that respect."

Much of Iceland's hopes rest on the shoulders of Swansea midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, who was the island nation's top scorer in qualification with six goals.

However, Rooney insists England are focusing on the whole of the Icelandic squad, rather than on certain individuals.

Image: Rooney insists England are focusing on the whole of Iceland's team, and not just Gylfi Sigurdsson

"I don't want to talk too much about him," the Manchester United striker said. "He's a fantastic player, he's been very good over the past few years in the Premier League.

"He's a dangerous player, he can score goals from set-pieces and open play. But as I said before we're concentrating on the whole team and not just one player."

Rooney also hailed the attitude of Raheem Sterling, who had been criticised by some sections of England's support following a couple of lacklustre displays in the group stage.

Image: England show their dejection after conceding late against Russia

"For me, what I've seen, his state of mind is fine," Rooney said. "He's been normal around the camp and what we've seen on the training pitch is Raheem Sterling.

"He's been fantastic, sharp, taking players on and scoring goals. There's no issue with Raheem whatsoever - his attitude has never been questioned in training.

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"He works hard, he stays behind after training. He's a huge asset to us because he's a fantastic player and someone who can turn a game in a split second. If anyone is questioning his attitude or his state of mind they would be mistaken."

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