Iceland do not fear facing England in the round of 16, says coach Heimar Hallgrimsson

By Reuters

Image: Iceland's win against Austria meant they finished Group F in second and will now face England in the last 16.

Iceland do not fear facing England at Euro 2016, joint coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said.

Hallgrimsson's indefatigable players beat Austria 2-1 to book a place in the last-16.

The Icelanders finished on five points in Group F behind Hungary, on goal difference, to set up an encounter with Roy Hodgson's team in Nice on Monday.

"I'm not afraid of the England match," Hallgrimsson told a news conference after midfielder Arnor Traustason had scored with the last kick of the game to beat Austria.

"Icelanders know everything about English football. We have to have our best game but we know that even though Iceland can have the best performance we've ever had, we can still lose against nations like England."

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Iceland were trounced 6-1 by England in 2004 in the nations' previous meeting, although Iceland have improved beyond recognition since then.

Image: Arnor Traustason scored with the last kick of the game to guarantee second place in Group F for Iceland

Man of the match Kari Arnason, who set up Jon Bodvarsson for their 18th minute opener with a flicked header, also welcomed the opportunity to play against Wayne Rooney's men.

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"I have always supported England in the big international tournaments when we haven't been playing," said the 33-year-old former Plymouth Argyle and Rotherham United midfielder.

"It's a dream come true. We will go into this game with full force to get a result. We believe in our ability."

Elmar Bjarnason, who provided the cross for fellow substitute Traustason to score the winner, added: "We've beaten some big nations on the way here and got results against some of the biggest nations in the world, like Portugal and Holland, Czech Republic and Turkey.

"The belief is there but we also know we have to hit our 110 per cent day to be able to get a result. Hopefully it'll be our day."

Group F - How it finished

Team W D L GD Points
Hungary 1 2 0 +2 5
Iceland 1 2 0 +1 5
Portugal 0 3 0 0 3
Austria 0 1 2 -3 1

Tournament debutants Iceland are unbeaten, having drawn 1-1 against Portugal and Hungary in their first two group matches, and their players stayed on the pitch long after the final whistle to soak up the adulation of their ecstatic fans.

"The supporters were fantastic tonight," added Hallgrimsson, who is in joint charge of the national team alongside former Sweden coach Lars Lagerback.

"If we can show these values on the pitch I think every Icelander is happy with the team, no matter the result. The only thing you can do is give your best."  

Iceland's last-ditch defending, never-say-die attitude and a touch of luck was just too much for Austria's inexperienced side, beaten coach Marcel Koller said.

Despite arguably playing their best football in the second half against Iceland, they conceded a stoppage-time goal that sealed their exit from the championship.

Image: Alessandro Schopf came off the bench to equalise for Austria

"If there are 10 players in the penalty area like an Icelandic wall then of course it's difficult and you have to find gaps," Koller said.

"We did at times, but there was always a body or leg in between and then it's luck or bad luck that we didn't score a second goal."

Iceland took the lead in the first half and looked relatively comfortable, even after Austrian defender Aleksandar Dragovic missed a penalty.

Image: Aleksandar Dragovic missed a penalty which could have been the equaliser in the first half

With Koller adopting a more attacking formation after the break, Austria, who had not lost a game in qualifying for Euro 2016, took control.

It looked like a matter of time before they would rein in a tiring Iceland team that dropped further and further back after substitute Alessandro Schopf levelled on 60 minutes.

"It wasn't enough to play just one half," said Koller, who sought to remain upbeat. "It's a good experience for the players to say we've played at such a tournament and see that there are no bad sides and you have to be focused at all times."

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