- England suffered a 1-0 defeat to Iceland and were booed at the end of full time.
- Kobbie Maino says Three Lions’ confidence has not suffered any setbacks
- Click here Follow Mail Sport’s Euro 2024 WhatsApp channel for the latest news and updates from Germany
Kobbie Mainoo insists England’s confidence has not taken a hit despite a “humble” defeat against Iceland.
The Three Lions hoped to finish their Euro Cup preparation with an impressive performance in front of the Wembley crowd.
However, Gareth Southgate’s men produced a disjointed performance as a first-half goal from Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson sealed victory for the visitors.
England were greeted with boos from disappointed fans when the final whistle blew, but Mainoo, who played the full 90 minutes, does not believe it will affect the dressing room.
The Manchester United midfielder said: ‘Not at all! We know the quality we have in the dressing room and now we just have to show the fans that we are good enough and that we can compete in Germany.
England suffered a defeat against Iceland in their last warm-up match and were booed
Kobbie Mainoo insists England’s confidence has not been shaken despite backlash
“I think going to a tournament after a defeat can be a good thing. We have something to prove to ourselves because we know we are better than that and we play much better football.
‘It was humbling and we have to come together now. We have a grudge and we have to come together and have the motivation now to get to the first game and prove a point.
“I think if we don’t win, we’re learning.” “Any opportunity to learn is a good opportunity and better now than in nine days.”
Meanwhile, Southgate admitted he “completely understands” the backlash following the defeat which ensured England go into next week’s opener against Serbia with just one win in five games.
‘I completely understand (the boos). We didn’t play well enough to keep them excited during the game,” Southgate said.
“We had very, very good opportunities that normally would have been taken and that could have given a different character to the game and of course would have affected the opponent’s confidence.
But that would have masked some flaws that were evident tonight. From my point of view, I have learned a lot from the game.
“This makes us think that any kind of complacency that talent is going to give us this trophy and that we just have to enter… football is not like that.” You have to get every aspect of the game right to win any match at this level and we were a long way off tonight and Iceland deserved their victory.
Gareth Southgate admitted he understood the negative reaction from the crowd at Wembley
“But I have no qualms about the fans’ reaction. Having the fans here with you obviously makes a big difference, but you have to give them enough action in goal, you have to play well enough, press and win the ball with intensity to keep them with you throughout the game.
“It’s not the night we wanted, the performance was not at the level it needed.
“It’s far from being an ideal night, I’m not going to hide the disappointment, but we have to stay calm because we know what needs to be corrected.”
