England to play Iceland
LONDON. — Wales will play Northern Ireland in the last 16 of Euro 2016, while England take on Iceland and the Republic of Ireland face France.
The Republic were minutes from going out but came third in Group E with a late 1-0 win over Italy on Wednesday night and go through.
Wales, who topped Group B, play Michael O’Neill’s Northern Ireland in Paris tomorrow (6pm)
England, who were runners-up behind Wales, play surprise Group F runners-up Iceland in Nice on Monday (9pm).
Martin O’Neill’s Republic of Ireland side, who, like Northern Ireland, qualified as one of the four best third-placed teams, take on hosts France in Lyon on Sunday at 3pm.
Northern Ireland and Wales had never reached the European Championship finals before this year’s competition, the first to feature 24 teams, while it is the first time the Republic have made the knockout stages at the Euros.
The last time the Republic of Ireland played France was in 2009, when Thierry Henry handled the ball in the build-up to the deciding goal in a World Cup qualification play-off. With a population of just 330 000, England’s opponents Iceland are the smallest nation ever to qualify for the tournament. The Republic of Ireland were heading out before a late Robbie Brady header gave them a 1-0 win over Italy and sent them through as another one of the best third-placed teams. Winger James McClean said the sight of “grown men crying and complete love for our country” was “quite remarkable”.
He added: “We knew it would be win or bust. We left nothing on the field. The best night of my life, hands down.”
Goalscorer Brady said he was “abso- lutely flabbergasted” by the result and described it as an “out of body experience”.
That dramatic climax echoed scenes earlier on Wednesday as Iceland sealed second place in Group F by scoring a last-minute goal to beat Austria 2-1.
Had Iceland not won, England would have faced Portugal in the last 16.
The Portuguese, who now play Group D winners Croatia, knocked England out of the European Championship in 2004 and the World Cup in 2006, with both games decided by a penalty shoot-out.
Switzerland v Poland (tomorrow, 3pm) Wales v Northern Ireland (tomorrow, 6pm) Croatia v Portugal (tomorrow, 9pm) France v Republic of Ireland ( Sunday, 3pm) Germany v Slovakia (Sunday, 6pm) Hungary v Belgium (Sunday, 9pm) Italy v Spain (Monday, 6pm) England v Iceland (Monday, 9pm). BBC Sport.