Iceland into EURO 2016 quarter-finals after stunning England

• Iceland will play hosts France in the quarter-finals on Sunday after this comeback win
  
• Wayne Rooney puts England ahead from the spot after four minutes
• Rooney scores on the night he joins David Beckham (115) as England's most capped outfield player
  
• Ragnar Sigurdsson soon heads Iceland level; Kolbeinn Sigthórsson's low shot proves decisive
  
• England suffer their first defeat over 90 or 120 minutes in 26 UEFA EURO fixtures

Iceland pulled off the greatest result in their history, coming from behind to stun England in Nice and reach the UEFA EURO 2016 quarter-finals.

Trailing to Wayne Rooney's early penalty, Iceland tipped this round of 16 tie on its head with goals from centre-back Ragnar Sigurdsson – only his second in 60 internationals – and Kolbeinn Sigthórsson. The next chapter in the debutants' fairy-tale run is a date with the hosts.

The spot kick, awarded for keeper Hannes Halldórsson's foul on the recalled Raheem Sterling, was exactly the start Roy Hodgson's men craved. It was a fourth-minute goal to coax Iceland out of their shell. What followed next, though, was as remarkable as it was unexpected from Lars Lagerbäck and Heimir Hallgrímsson's team.

First, Aron Gunnarsson hurled the ball in, Kári Árnason outjumped Rooney and the unmarked Ragnar Sigurdsson planted the ball past Joe Hart. What must have been relief for Iceland soon turned to ecstasy.

They came again, Gylfi Sigurdsson feeding Jón Dadi Bödvarsson, who in turn found Sigthórsson. The Nantes forward's shot from the edge of the box was not the most vicious, but it squirmed under the outstretched left glove of Hart nonetheless.

England huffed and puffed, often shooting from long range such was the barrier of blue jerseys before them. The 60th-minute introduction of Jamie Vardy had little effect. Indeed, Gunnarsson, denied by Hart, nearly extended Iceland's lead on a late counterattack.

Man of the match: Ragnar Sigurdsson (Iceland)
Sigurdsson is a name familiar to all England fans. If Swansea City midfielder Gylfi's namesake Ragnar was relatively unknown before this game, he will not be now. The Krasnodar defender scored, almost made it 3-1 with an audacious bicycle kick and produced a perfectly timed tackle to preserve the lead when faced with the onrushing Vardy.

Caught out
There was something ironic about England, the land where the tactic is utilised at all levels, being unhinged by a long throw. It was not as if they had not been forewarned, Bödvarsson having broken the deadlock against Austria via the same method. That two of the three players involved – Árnason and Gunnarsson – have English league experience will only make it more galling.

• From Greece to Iceland: EURO's biggest shocks

Iceland ignore the script
A lot of pre-match talk had centred on how an early England goal would make their task easier, that they might then go on to win by two or three against opponents whose only clean sheets in the last 15 games had come against Finland and Liechtenstein. How wrong that was. England's failings in France were apparent again: no shortage of possession but a lack of cutting edge.

No pressure
"Whichever way this goes, these players are winners already," said Iceland joint-coach Heimir Hallgrimsson yesterday. This was a no-lose situation for the Nordic side, who had "already won the hearts and minds of the Icelandic population". Their sensational campaign goes on. Whenever they return home, they will do so as national heroes.

Reporters' views from Stade de Nice

Simon Hart, England (@UEFAcomSimonH)
England got the early goal we all thought would open the floodgates, but what followed will remain an unhappy memory for years to come. There was a lack of pace, a lack of composure, a lack of belief in their display – too many players taking too many touches as the game slipped away. If, as seems likely, this is the end of Hodgson's reign, it was not the way he would have wished to depart.

Johann Sigurdsson, Iceland (@UEFAcomJohannS)
An unbelievable performance from Iceland. They just continue to defy all odds, showing an immense mentality along the way. They had the worst start imaginable, but their reply was immediate. This illustrates so well the mental strength the team have. The fairy tale lives on. Anything is possible. Anything.

Lineups

Iceland line up ahead of the England gameGetty Images

England: Hart; Rose, Smalling, Cahill, Walker; Rooney (c) (Rashford 87), Dier (Wilshere 46), Alli; Sterling (Vardy 60), Kane, Lallana
Substitutes: Forster, Heaton, Milner, Clyne, Henderson, Stones, Barkley, Bertrand (Sturridge 46)
Coach: Roy Hodgson

Iceland: Halldórsson; Skúlason, Ragnar Sigurdsson, Árnason, Sævarsson; Birkir Bjarnason, Gunnarsson (c), Gylfi Sigurdsson, Gudmundsson; Bödvarsson (Traustason 89), Sigthórsson (Elmar Bjarnasson 77)
Substitutes: Kristinsson, Jónsson, Hauksson, Hermannsson, Ingason, Finnbogason, Sigurjónsson, Magnússon, Hallfredsson, Gudjohnsen
Coach: Lars Lagerbäck

Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)