England suffered a surprising 1-0 defeat to Iceland in their final pre-Euro 2024 friendly, but Declan Rice insists it is not all bad news.

Declan Rice feels that England can take benefits from Friday’s friendly loss to Iceland, and that the outcome would not hinder Kobbie Mainoo’s prospects of partnering him in midfield.

England were booed as they lost their final Euro 2024 warm-up game 1-0 at Wembley Stadium, Jon Thorsteinsson’s 12th-minute goal proving decisive.

Gareth Southgate’s side had only one attempt on target as Iceland sat deep and invited pressure, with Harry Kane and Ivan Toney both fluffing their lines from good positions.

It was their fewest shots on goal in any game since a goalless draw against Scotland in the group stage of Euro 2020 (also one).

The Three Lions were likewise lambasted for their sluggish performance on that occasion, despite reaching the tournament’s final.

While Rice was unhappy by Friday’s defeat, he believes England will learn from their mistakes in time for Group C matches against Serbia, Denmark, and Slovenia.

“I think when we have that much of the ball and have a couple of really clear-cut chances, and obviously getting beat 1-0 at home just before a Euros isn’t ideal, but I am going to take the positives from it as well,” Rice said on Channel 4.

“There were many promising performances tonight. On the pitch, I felt like we played at a terrific speed, always trying to push forward and be attacking and threatening.

“In the end, it becomes a frustrating game because you’re chasing your tail a little bit, you’re likely to be caught on the counterattack, and that’s where we need to be a little more strategic.

“Going into a tournament, it is not ideal that we lost, but also there are some good learning curves from tonight that we can build on as a team.”

This is the first time England has lost their final game before a major international tournament since Euro 1968, when they were eliminated in the first round of a four-team competition after losing to West Germany in their final warm-up match.

After losing 1-0 to Brazil in March, they have failed to score in two of their last three Wembley encounters, totaling as many blanks as they had in their previous 31 appearances at the national stadium.

Rice teamed Manchester United youngster Mainoo in the middle of midfield, and his teammate drew anger from fans as the Three Lions were frequently caught off guard on the counterattack.

Rice, on the other hand, is optimistic about Mainoo’s potential, stating: “We did it in March, and it was quite great.

“I can guess that because we lost tonight, some people will say things, but that’s football these days. Kobbie is young, as am I, and so are our midfield choices.

“We are going to learn every game and that is the beauty of football, that every game you play there is a chance to improve and get better.”