A sailing holiday company has offered to cheer up England’s players after Iceland beat them on Monday by taking them on a free whale-watching day-trip.

Iceland stunned Austria to reach the knockout rounds of Euro 2016 on Wednesday, and are approaching their unexpected last-16 game against Roy Hodgson’s under-pressure team in a confident mood.

The Icelandic holiday firm have offered the soon-to-be-beaten England players a free day out in Husavik “as a bandage for wounded pride, after the loss against Iceland this coming Monday”.

North Sailing’s manager Gudbjartur Jonsson, posing with 23 free tickets for the England squad dated Tuesday 28 July, said: “It is only polite and a part of the Icelandic hospitality culture to offer the free tickets.