[monks data]

European Championship | Round of 16

Jun 27, 2016 at 8pm UK

England
1-2
Iceland Iceland

Rooney (4' pen.)

FT(HT: 1-2)

Sigurdsson (6'), Sigthorsson (18')

Football

Heimir Hallgrimsson: 'Iceland players can change lives by earning England scalp'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter

Published: June 26 2016 | 20:51

Last updated: June 5 2025 | 00:17

Heimir Hallgrimsson calls on his Iceland players to 'change their lives forever' by earning the country's biggest-ever win when taking on England in Nice.

Iceland joint-manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has told his players to grab their opportunity with both hands and become national heroes when facing England.

The Euro 2016 minnows, who have surprised many by making it into the knockout stages of the competition, now have a chance to pull off a major scalp.

With all the pressure on England to pick up the victory in normal time, Hallgrimsson believes that his side simply have nothing to lose in the last-16 fixture in Nice on Monday evening.

"We've said previously that this game is a win-win game," he is quoted as saying by The Telegraph. "They've already won the hearts of all Icelandic people for their performances.

"On the other hand, if we beat England, their lives will change forever and significantly. Icelandic football will go up in reputation and the way we approach football will be different."

Iceland are the smallest-sized country in the European Championship finals, with a population of just over 300,000 people.