Skipper Rooney urges players to enjoy pressure

WAYNE Rooney has told his England team-mates to relish the pressure brought by being overwhelming favourites for the must-win Euro 2016 clash against Iceland.

The French Riviera will tonight play host to a fascinating last-16 clash between the 1966 World Cup winners and the smallest country to ever appear at a major tournament.

"Every game has a lot of pressure playing for England," said Rooney, speaking at the Stade de Nice on the eve of the match.

"We understand that as a team, as a group of players, and we know we are favourites to win this game. There's no denying that.

"We're confident we can, we will give everything and we will try to take what we've worked on, our game plan, into the game to give us the best chance to win it.

"I believe if we play the way we can and stick to the things we've worked on, we will win the game.

"There is pressure, of course, but it is down to us as a team to play under that pressure and enjoy it ­- enjoy having that pressure on us because if we win we are in the quarter-finals."

The opponents in the last eight will be France after the hosts defeated the Republic of Ireland 2-1.