EURO friendly report card: Iceland

Results
Thursday: Denmark 2-1 Iceland (N Jørgensen 51 54; Traustason 90)
Kristinsson; Hauksson, Árnason, R Sigurdsson, Magnússon; Hallfredsson (Gudmundsson 46), Gunnarsson, G Sigurdsson (T Bjarnason 82), B Bjarnason (Traustason 72); Finnbogason, Sigthórsson (Bödvarsson 72)

In their first game under Norwegian coach Åge Hareide, Denmark secured a comfortable win against UEFA EURO 2016 contenders Iceland, their 3-5-2 formation proving hard for the visitors to handle. Iceland pushed forward after the break but conceded two Nicolai Jørgensen goals in a matter of minutes. Arnór Ingvi Traustason came on to score his second international goal, but Iceland's defence may be their main concern.

Tuesday: Greece 2-3 Iceland (Fortounis 19p 31; Traustason 34, Ingason 70, Sigthórsson 82)
Kristinsson (Halldórsson 46); Sævarsson, Hermannsson, Ingason, Skúlason; Gudmundsson, Gunnarsson (B Bjarnason 46), Hallfredsson (Sigurdsson 46), Traustason (E Bjarnason 46); Bödvarsson (Finnbogason 83), Kjartansson (Sigthórsson 61)

Iceland made eight changes from the loss in Denmark but again they started slowly against a 3-5-2 system and were two down inside 31 minutes. However, this time the Icelanders fought back as Traustason claimed his third goal in six appearances to revive the visitors. Defender Sverrir Ingason then equalised with his first strike at international level and substitute Kolbeinn Sigthórsson won it late on.

Iceland co-coach Heimir Hallgrímsson©Getty Images

What we learned
1) With two strikes in his last two games (and three in six international outings in total) midfielder Arnór Traustason is a great goalscoring option.

2) Young full-backs Hördur Magnússon and Haukur Hauksson show real promise.

3) Team leaders Gylfi Sigurdsson and Aron Gunnarsson need to keep the team on their toes.

Questions remain
• Will Iceland coaches Heimir Hallgrímsson and Lars Lagerbåck find a way to deal with opponents operating a 3-5-2?

• Do Iceland still require Eidur Gudjohnsen's experience to ensure the side stay concentrated?

• Can Iceland keep their cool under the pressure of appearing at their first major international final tournament?

Room for improvement
Excitement and stress may have got to Iceland in the last few days, the sub-standard second half against Denmark contrasting with a brilliant second 45 against Greece. Focus and discipline are what took Iceland to UEFA EURO 2016 and they have to return. Fresh, young players were given a chance against Denmark and Greece – putting some pressure on the old guard.

EURO certainties (if fit)
Goalkeepers: Ögmundur Kristinsson (Hammarby), Hannes Halldórsson (Bodö/Glimt)

Defenders: Ari Skúlason (OB), Birkir Sævarsson (Hammarby), Ragnar Sigurdsson (Krasnodar), Kári Árnason (Malmö), Sölvi Ottesen (Jiangsu Guoxin-Sainty)

Midfielders: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea), Aron Gunnarsson (Cardiff), Jóhann Gudmundsson (Charlton), Emil Hallfredsson (Udinese), Birkir Bjarnason (Basel), Arnór Traustason (Norrköping), Eidur Gudjohnsen (Molde)

Forwards: Kolbeinn Sigthórsson (Nantes), Alfred Finnbogason (Augsburg), Vidar Kjartansson (Malmö)

Media view
Vídir Sigurdsson, Morgunbladid
"We just saw two completely different friendlies; against Denmark, the team did not have the spark, but against Greece the spark was there. I do not see any problem with the last two games. The coaches were experimenting, trying new players and so on, but I think for the next friendly the lineup will be different and we will play like we will in France."