Iceland World Cup Fixtures, Squad, Group, Guide

Iceland have been eliminated from the 2018 World Cup.

Iceland vs Croatia – 26th June Match Report

Match preview here

Iceland Starting XI: 1 Hannes Halldorsson, 2 Birkir Saevarsson, 5 Sverir Ingason, 6 Ragnar Sigurdsson (9 Bjorn Sigurdarson 71), 7 Johan Gudmundsson, 8 Birkir Bjarnason (21 Amor Traustason 90), 10 Gylfi Sigurdsson, 11 Alfred Finnbogason (4 Albert Gudmundsson 85), 17 Aron Gunnarsson, 18 Hordor Magnusson, 20 Emil Hallfredsson

Croatia Starting XI: 12 Lovre Kalinic, 4 Ivan Perisic, 5 Vedran Corluka, 8 Mateo Kovacic (7 Ivan Rakitic 82), 9 Andrej Kramaric, 10 Luka Modric (14 Filip Bradaric 65), 13 Tin Jedvaj, 15 Duje Caleta-Car, 19 Milan Badelj, 20 Marko Pjaca (6 Dejan Lovren 70), 22 Josip Pivaric

Rostov-on-Don 

Iceland 1 Croatia 2

Scorers

Iceland: G Sigurdsson 76pen

Croatia: Badelj 53, Perisic 90

Match overview

Ivan Perisic scored a last-minute winner for a much-changed Croatia side who topped their group and won three World Cup games in a row for the first time.

After a cautious start, Iceland grew in confidence and went close through Albert Finnbogason, Birkir Bjarnason and Aron Gunnarsson in the first half.

Croatia struggled to find their stride but they eventually made the most of greater second-half possession and took the lead through Milan Badelj, in for rested Ivan Rakitic. 

Gylfi Sigurdsson made amends for his penalty miss against Nigeria by dispatching the spot-kick that brought Iceland back into game. But as Iceland pushed for a late goal that might keep them in the tournament, space opened up for Perisic to grab the last-gasp winner.

Matter of fact

Iceland’s three second-half yellow cards were their first of the tournament

Talking point

Only Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic retained their starting places for the final group game after coach Zlatko Dalic made wholesale changes.

Stats

Iceland/Croatia

Possession (%): 41/59

Goal attempts: 17/13

Attempts on target: 8/8

Corners: 10/5

Fouls: 10/12

Pass accuracy (%): 73/87

Distance covered (km): 103/101

Iceland vs Nigeria (22nd June) Match Report

Match preview here. 

Iceland Starting XI: 1 Hannes Halldorsson, 2 Birkir Saevarsson, 6 Ragnar Sigurdsson (5 Sverri Ingason 65), 8 Birkir Bjarnason, 10 Gylfi Sigurdsson, 11 Alfred Finnbogason, 14 Kari Arnason, 17 Aron Gunnarsson (23 Ari Skulason 87), 18 Hordur Magnusson, 19 Rurik Gislason, 22 Jon Dadi Bodvarsson (9 Bjorn Sigurdarson 71)

Nigeria Starting XI: 23 Francis Uzoho, 2 Brian Idowu (21 Tyronne Ebuehi 46), 4 Wilfred Ndidi, 5 William Troost-Ekong, 6 Leon Balogun, 7 Ahmed Musa, 8 Oghenekaro Etebo (18 Alex Iwobi 90), 10 Jon Obi Mikel, 11 Victor Moses, 14 Kelechi Iheanacho (9 Odion Ighalo 85), 22 Kenneth Omeruo

Volgograd

Nigeria 2 Iceland 0

Scorers

Nigeria: Musa 49, 75

Iceland: none

Match overview

The blistering pace of Ahmed Musa destroyed Iceland, whose tight organisation melted away in the face of Nigeria’s second-half attacks.   

After an incident-free first half, Nigeria sprung to life after the break. Victor Moses led a swift counter-attack that was finished with with a scorching volley by Musa for the first goal. Musa then outran the Iceland defence to dispatch the second. Nigeria could have had more – Musa rattled the crossbar – before a VAR review gave Iceland the chance to get back in the game. But Gylfi Sigurdsson sent his penalty over.

Ahmed Musa

Ahmed Musa scored the first with a stunning touch (Getty Images)

Matter of fact

Nigeria had no goal attempts in the first half.

Talking point

Nigeria were a side transformed from their opening game against Croatia thanks to the changes made by coach Gerhard Rohr. Musa and Kelechi Iheanacho started in a revamped 3-5-2 formation.

Stats

Nigeria/Iceland

Possession (%): 57/43

Goal attempts: 16/10

Attempts on target: 6/6

Corners: 6/5

Fouls: 9/9

Pass accuracy (%): 82/69

Distance covered (km): 100/106

Iceland vs Argentina (16th June) Match Report

Playing in their first World Cup, can Iceland manage to stop the offensive class of Argentina? – Match preview here. 

Iceland Starting XI: 1 Hannes Halldorsson, 2 Birkir Saevarsson, 6 Ragnar Sigurdsson, 7 Johann Gudmundsson (19 Rurik Gislason 64), 8 Birkir Bjarnason, 10 Gylfi Sigurdsson, 11 Alfred Finnbogason (9 Bjorn Sigurdarson 89), 17 Aaron Gunnarsson (23 Ari Skulason 76), 14 Karl Arnason, 18 Hordor Magnusson, 20 Emil Hallfredsson

Argentina Starting XI: 23 Willy Caballero, 3 Nicolas Tagliafico, 5 Lucas Biglia (7 Ever Banega 54), 13 Maximiliano Meza (9 Gonzalo Higuain 84), 14 Javier Mascherano, 10 Lionel Messi, 11 Angel Di Maria (22 Cristian Pavon 75), 16 Marcos Rojo, 17 Nicolas Otamendi, 18 Eduardo Salvio, 19 Sergio Aguero

Moscow Spartak 

Argentina 1 Iceland 1

Scorers:

Argentina: Aguero 19

Iceland: Finnbogason 23

Match overview

Argentina’s opening game ended in frustration after being held by a disciplined Iceland side playing their first ever World Cup match. Lionel Messi was denied the winner by Iceland keeper Hannes Halldorsson, who saved a second-half penalty and was the anchor of an Iceland defence that resisted a wave of Argentina attacks.

Man of the match

Iceland’s keeper Hannes Halldorsson saved a Lionel Messi penalty and kept his team in the game when saving from from Cristian Pavon late in the game.

Matter of fact

Argentina’s goal was Sergio Aguero’s first World Cup goal.

Talking point

The clash of styles was highlighted by the pass accuracyy stats. Argentina completed 92 per cent of their passes, compared to only 67 per cent for Iceland. Argentina also enjoyed the vast majority of possession (72 per cent) but Lionel Messi frequently found himself crowded out by two or three Iceland defenders.  

Stats

Argentina/Iceland

Possession (%): 72/28

Goal attempts: 26/9

Attempts on target: 9/5

Corners: 10/2

Fouls: 10/15

Pass accuracy (%): 92/67

Distance covered (km): 101/105

Iceland World Cup Guide

Amazingly, Iceland reached the 2018 World Cup finals as winners of their group. They are by far the smallest nation ever to qualify and – at a mere 339,000 – the first with a population under a million. The team were a bit rusty at first, following an amazing run at their first major tournament at Euro 2016, where they were unbeaten until losing in the quarter-finals to hosts France. The players grew in strength and, against all odds, won seven of their 10 games, including all of their home games.

Key Moments in Qualifying 

Sep 2016
A lucky 3-2 win over Finland with two goals in injury time, including a disputed winner.
Sep 2017
Strangely, a 1-0 loss to Finland in Tampere, with three more games to play, is crucial. The players realise they have probably become complacent and, following the defeat, they go back to basics.
Oct 2017
A fantastic 3-0 win away to Turkey puts Iceland on top of the group again, as Croatia draw at home against Finland the same night.
Oct 2017
Playing hosts to Kosovo, and with their fate in their own hands, they break down their resilient guests just before half-time, adding a second goal after the interval.

Iceland World Cup Group

Iceland are in Group D alongside Argentina, Ivan Rakitic’s Croatia, and Nigeria.

Iceland World Cup Friendlies

In January of 2018, Iceland dismantled Indonesia 4-1, to get the year off to winning ways. But they then lost three matches in a row against Mexico, Peru and Norway. In their final game, they got a draw against Ghana.

  • 14th January – Indonesia (won 4-1)
  • 24th March – Mexico (lost 3-0)
  • 28th March – Peru (lost 3-1)
  • 2nd June – Norway (lost 3-2)
  • 7th June – Ghana (drew 2-2)

Iceland World Cup Fixtures

Iceland open their tough group account against Argentina on the 16th of June. Nigeria then await on the 22nd, and finally a potentially crucial game against Croatia takes place on the 26th.

Related: Ivan Rakitic November 2007 

The Coach 

Heimir Hallgrimsson, age 50 (10.06.67)
A qualified dentist who still runs a clinic in his native Westmann Islands, he was appointed assistant to Lars Lagerback, when the Icelandic Football Federation hired the Swede as national coach in 2011. Shortly after failing to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, Hallgrimsson and Lagerback signed contracts as joint managers, and when the Swede called it a day after Euro 2016, Hallgrimsson became the sole boss.

Going Solo: Hallgrimsson was a joint manager with Lars Lagerback but now he has sole possession of the head coaching role (Getty Images)

The Players 
Stars
Although having a very quiet start to his Everton career, midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson was top scorer during the World Cup qualifying campaign.
Stalwarts
Captain Aron Einar Gunnarsson is the heart of the Iceland team, with Sigurdsson being the brain. Gunnarsson’s never-say-die attitude is crucial, pulling the strings in midfield and allowing Sigurdsson time and space to attack. Centre-backs Ragnar Sigurdsson and Kari Arnason are an important pairing, with keeper Hannes Halldorsson another essential piece in the puzzle.
Missing
Forward Kolbeinn Sigthorsson has hardly played since Euro 2016, having sustained a knee injury in September 2016, but he hopes to return to action before the end of 2017.

Iceland World Cup Squad

Final 23-man squad –

GOALKEEPERS: Hannes Thor Halldorsson (Randers FC), Runar Alex Runarsson (FC Nordsjælland), Frederik Schram (FC Roskilde).

DEFENDERS: Kari Arnason (Aberdeen), Ari Freyr Skulason (K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen), Birkir Mar Saevarsson (Hammarby), Sverrir Ingi Ingason (FC Rostov), Hordur Magnusson (Bristol City), Holmar Orn Eyjolfsson (Maccabi Haifa), Ragnar Sigurdsson (FC Rostov).

MIDFIELDERS: Johann Berg Gudmundsson (Burnley), Birkir Bjarnason (Aston Villa), Arnor Ingvi Traustason (Malmo FF), Emil Hallfredsson (Udinese), Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton), Olafur Ingi Skulason (Kardemir Karabukspor), Rurik Gislason (FC Nurnberg), Samuel Fridjonsson (Valerenga), Aron Gunnarsson (Cardiff City).

FORWARDS: Alfred Finnbogason (FC Augsburg), Bjorn Bergmann Sigurdarson (FC Rostov), Jon Dadi Bodvarsson (Reading), Albert Gudmundsson (PSV Eindhoven).

Iceland World Cup Injuries

Iceland’s best player Gylfi Sigurdsson suffered a serious knee injury whilst playing for Everton. He is in a race against time to be fit for the tournament.

Playmaker: Sigurdsson was their top scorer during the qualifying campaign (Getty Images)

The Unanswered Questions

How can such a small nation qualify for the World Cup?
The recent generation of players is strong, both physically and mentally. All of them playing professionally abroad, although few are with big teams in strong leagues.

How have Iceland climbed the FIFA ranking list so quickly?
The transition can be traced back 15 years to when the country started building indoor football arenas. Before then, adverse weather conditions meant players could not train properly during the winter. Another reason is a high standard of coaches.

Captain: Gunnarsson is one of their most important players (Getty Images)

Has Iceland got enough strength in depth if key players get injured?
If important players such as captain Gunnarsson or Gylfi Sigurdsson are not available, their replacements would not be of the same quality even though Iceland has a pretty strong squad of 20 to 25 players. Recent friendlies suggest that, at this moment in time, others are not ready to step up.

Will Heimir Hallgrimsson stick to his tried and tested 4-4-2 formation?
Iceland usually play 4-4-2 but during the qualifiers they sometimes used a 4-5-1 set-up, with Sigurdsson in the hole behind a lone striker. In a recent friendly they even experimented with three centre-backs in a five-man defensive line – which could be used at times in the summer.

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