No 439
Hungary, Wembley, 12.9.90. England won 1-0
Woods Dixon Pearce (Dorigo) Parker Walker Wright
Platt Gascoigne Bull (Waddle) Lineker*1
Barnes J.
Highlights: Graham
Taylor made Gary Lineker captain for his first match as England manager, and
it was the new skipper who scored the match-winning goal in the last minute of
the first-half. David Platt had a shot beaten out, Paul Gascoigne played the
ball back in and Lineker swooped to put the finishing touch from six yards.
Taylor, who had never played football at the highest level, stuck with a
Robson-look selection for his opening matches, bringing in only Arsenal
right-back Lee Dixon for the second of his twenty-two caps.
No
440
Poland, Wembley, 17.10.90. England won 2-0
Woods Dixon Pearce Parker Walker Wright
Platt Gascoigne Bull (Waddle) Lineker*1
(Beardsley1)
Barnes J.
Highlights: A Gary Lineker penalty after his header had
been handled on the line gave England the lead in the fortieth minute of this
opening European championship qualifier. Peter Beardsley, substituting for
injured Lineker in the fifty-sixth minute, made the points safe with a second
goal in the eighty-ninth minute. It was a cracker from Beardsley, his shot
curling away from the diving goalkeeper and still picking up pace on its way
into the net. So far so good for Taylor, and his willingness to talk openly
after the game made him an instant hit with the media.
No
441
Republic of Ireland, Dublin, 14.11.90. Drew 1-1
Woods Dixon Pearce Adams Walker Wright
Platt1
Cowans Beardsley Lineker* McMahon
Highlights: Graham Taylor made the surprise tactical
decision to leave out Paul Gascoigne when most people felt that his flair
might have made the difference against Jack Charlton's well-drilled Republic
of Ireland team in this European championship qualifier. Gordon Cowans was
recalled in place of Gazza for his first cap for four years. England were
flattered by their 1-0 lead when David Platt scored in the sixty-seventh
minute of a match in which skill took second place to strength, and justice
was done when Tony Cascarino equalised in the seventy ninth minute after
coming on as a substitute.
No
442
Cameroon, Wembley, 6.2.91. England won 2-0
Seaman Dixon Pearce Steven Walker Wright M.
Robson* (Pallister) Gascoigne (Hodge) Wright I. Lineker2
Barnes J.
Highlights: Cameroon were a delight in the World Cup finals
but a bitter disappointment in this friendly match on a frost-bitten Wembley
turf. There was huge frustration when their Italia '90 hero Roger Milla
refused to play following a disagreement over his appearance fee. The Africans
replaced their usual bright, attacking football with a dour defensive game and
they produced a spate of spiteful tackles including a reckless challenge on
Gary Lineker by the goalkeeper that brought a twentieth minute penalty.
Lineker scored from the spot to complete a hat-trick of penalties against
Cameroon, the first two being converted in the World Cup match in Italy. It
was Lineker who turned in a Stuart Pearce corner in the sixty-second minute to
finish off the Africans. Crystal Palace striker Ian Wright became Graham
Taylor's second new cap.
No
443
Republic of Ireland, Wembley, 27.3.91. Drew 1-1
Seaman Dixon1
Pearce Adams (Sharpe) Walker Wright M.
Robson* Platt Beardsley Lineker (Wright I.) Barnes J.
Highlights: Lee Dixon's first goal for England in the ninth
minute of this European championship return match was cancelled out eighteen
minutes later by Niall Quinn. Manchester United's exciting young prospect Lee
Sharpe was introduced to international football at the start of the
second-half, but England were lamentable in front of goal against Irish
defenders who took no prisoners. Bryan Robson was called up for the first time
by Graham Taylor, but he could not galvanise England into winning action. It
was Robson's eighty-ninth cap. Injuries robbed him of at least another twenty
caps.
No
444
Turkey, Izmir, 1.5.91. England won 1-0
Seaman Dixon Pearce Wise1
Walker Pallister
Platt Thomas (Hodge) Smith Lineker* Barnes J.
Highlights: Dennis Wise, picked for his first cap despite a
poor run of form with Wimbledon, silenced the critics of his selection with
the crucial winning goal that he scrambled into the Turkish net in the
thirty-second minute of this European championship qualifier. Geoff Thomas
also made his international bow in a largely undistinguished game, and was
substituted at half-time by Steve Hodge. David Seaman was in excellent form,
and looked ready and able to challenge Chris Woods for the role of regular
successor to the great Peter Shilton.
No
445
USSR, Wembley, 21.5.91. England won 3-1
Woods Stevens Dorigo Wise (Batty) Parker Wright M.*
Platt2 Thomas
Smith1
Wright I. (Beardsley) Barnes J.
Highlights: Only 23,789 fans bothered to turn up to see
England play Russia in the contrived 'England Challenge Cup', a three-way
tournament that also included Argentina. David Platt got England off to a
flying start with a fourth-minute goal from the penalty spot, and Alan Smith
made it 2-0 twelve minutes later. An own goal by Mark Wright gave the Russians
brief hope of getting back into the game before Platt finished them off with
an eighty-ninth minute strike. David ‘Bites Yer Legs’ Batty started his
international career as a seventieth minute substitute.
No
446
Argentina, Wembley, 25.5.91. Drew 2-2
Seaman Dixon Pearce Batty Walker Wright M.
Platt1
Thomas Smith Lineker*1
Barnes J. (Clough)
Highlights: England carelessly let a two-goal lead slip in
a four-minute spell midway through the second-half of a game that was always
niggly and bad-tempered, with the Argentineans giving better than they
received in the nasty tackles department. Gary Lineker scored in the fifteenth
minute (his fortieth goal) and David Platt made it 2-0 five minutes after
half-time. Lineker had the hollow honour of collecting the Challenge Cup as
the Argentineans trudged off to a chorus of boos. Nothing had been achieved in
the area of repairing the poor relationships between the two nations..
No
447
Australia, Sydney, 1.6.91. England won 1-0 (own goal1)
Woods Parker Pearce Batty Walker Wright M.
Platt Thomas Clough Lineker* (Wise) Hirst (Salako)
No
448
New Zealand, Auckland, 3.6.91. England won 1-0
Woods Parker Pearce Batty (Deane) Walker Barrett
Platt Thomas Wise Lineker*1
Walters (Salako)
No
449
New Zealand, Wellington, 8.6.91. England won 2-0
Woods Charles Pearce*1
Wise Walker Wright M.
Platt Thomas Deane (Hirst1)
Wright I. Salako
Highlights: Like his predecessor Bobby Robson, Graham
Taylor reluctantly inherited a 'Down Under' tour that did little for him apart
from provide some fresh scenery. An own goal five minutes before half-time
gave England victory over Australia in Sydney, and an injury-time goal by Gary
Lineker saved blushes in the first match against New Zealand in Auckland. A
goal in each half by Stuart Pearce and David Hirst gave England a 2-0 victory
in the return match in Wellington. Hirst was one of six players awarded their
first caps during the tour, along with John Salako, Earl Barrett, Brian Deane,
Mark Walters and Gary Charles.
No
450
Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, 12.6.91. England won 4-2
Woods Charles Pearce Batty Walker Wright M.
Platt Thomas Clough Lineker*4
Salako
Highlights: Gary Lineker produced the second four-goal
burst of his international career, taking over from Jimmy Greaves as the
second top England scorer of all time and he was now just four goals behind
Bobby Charlton's record 49-goal haul. Many considered this should not have
been classified as a full international, but there was no doubting Lineker's
ability as a deadly finisher as he found the net in the first, twenty-third,
thirtieth and seventieth minutes. Lineker joined the England squad just for
this match after taking part in club commitments with Tottenham. This was the
second time he had scored four goals in an England shirt, and it included his
fifth hat-trick.
No
451
Germany, Wembley, 11.9.91. England lost 1-0
Woods Dixon Dorigo Batty Pallister Parker
Platt Steven (Stewart) Smith Lineker* Salako (Merson)
Highlights: England created enough chances to have held a
comfortable lead long before Riedle headed West Germany into the lead a minute
before half-time. There was much to applaud in England's approach work, but
their finishing was feeble. Graham Taylor tried to rectify the situation by
sending on new caps Paul Stewart and Paul Merson, but it was the world
champions who came closest to scoring in the second-half when Lothar Matthaus
brought out the best in Chris Woods with a thirty-yard drive. It was the first
defeat of Taylor's reign after an unbeaten run of twelve matches.
No
452
Turkey, Wembley, 16.10.91. England won 1-0
Woods Dixon Pearce Batty Walker Mabbutt
Robson Platt Smith1
Lineker* Waddle
Highlights: Alan
Smith headed home a Stuart Pearce cross midway through the first-half to give
England maximum points in this European championship qualifier, but there was
little for Graham Taylor to enthuse about. The Turks might easily have
salvaged a draw but for a couple of excellent saves by Chris Woods and the
intervention of a post when he was beaten by a snap shot from Riza. Bryan
Robson made his ninetieth and final appearance in an England shirt that he had
always worn with such pride and passion.
No
453
Poland, Poznan, 13.11.91. Drew 1-1
Woods Dixon Pearce Gray (Smith) Walker Mabbutt
Platt Thomas Rocastle Lineker*1
Sinton (Daley)
Highlights: Just one scoring chance came Gary Lineker's way
in this tough and tense European championship qualifier and he tucked it away
with tremendous style, volleying the ball into the net on the turn in the
seventy-seventh minute. It equalised a thirty-second minute Polish goal that
went into the net off Gary Mabbutt and it clinched England's place in the
European championship finals. Andy Gray, Andy Sinton and Tony Daley won their
first caps.
No
454
France, Wembley, 19.2.92. England won 2-0
Woods Jones Pearce* Keown Walker Wright M.
Webb Thomas Clough Shearer1
Hirst (Lineker1)
Highlights: France came to Wembley hailed as the new wonder
team of Europe after a run of nineteen matches without defeat, but they were
sent crashing by an England team producing their finest performance since
Graham Taylor became manager. Alan Shearer illuminated his debut with a
well-taken goal a minute before half-time, swiveling to guide the ball into
the net after Mark Wright had flicked on a Nigel Clough centre. The goal
boosted England's confidence, and they were always looking the superior side
in the second-half against a smooth but punchless French team that had not
been beaten for three years. Graham Lineker, who had announced that he was
retiring from international football after the European championship finals,
joined the game as a substitute and collected his forty-seventh goal in the
seventy-fourth minute to knock the heart out of Michel Platini's highly
regarded team. Rob Jones and Martin Keown made their debuts along with
Shearer.
No
455
Czechoslovakia, Prague, 25.3.92. Drew 2-2
Seaman Keown1
Pearce* Rocastle (Dixon) Walker Mabbutt (Lineker)
Platt Merson1
Clough (Stewart) Hateley Barnes J. (Dorigo)
Highlights: A much-changed England twice came back from a
goal down to force a draw against a talented Czechoslovakian team. It was a
match of mistakes in both goal areas, and a particularly unhappy game for
Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman, whose fumbling form led to him losing his
number two spot in the European championship squad. Highbury team-mates Paul
Merson and Martin Keown both scored their first goals for England, Merson
equalizing in the twenty-eighth minute and Keown scoring with a spectacular
shot in the sixty-sixth minute after an appalling error by Seaman had let the
Czechs in for their second goal on the hour.
No
456
CIS (Commonwealth of
Independent States), Moscow, 29.4.92. Drew 2-2
Woods (Martyn) Stevens Sinton (Curle) Palmer
Walker Keown
Platt Steven1
(Stewart) Shearer (Clough) Lineker*1
Daley
Highlights: Gary
Lineker struck his forty-eighth goal in the fourteenth minute, and then
managed to miss a much easier chance that would have brought him level with
Bobby Charlton's all-time record. It was to be his final goal in an
outstanding England career. CIS, made up of the remnants of the old Soviet
empire in an era of crumbling walls and shifting boundaries, scored at the end
of the first-half and the beginning of the second-half. It was Trevor Steven
who saved the match for England with his first international goal for six
years in the seventy-second minute. Graham Taylor gave first caps to Nigel
Martyn, Carlton Palmer and Keith Curle, and the media began to question his
selection policy and whether he really had any idea what his best team might
be.
No
457
Hungary, Budapest, 12.5.92. England won 1-0 (own goal1)
Martyn (Seaman) Stevens Dorigo Curle (Sinton)
Walker Keown
Webb (Batty) Palmer Merson (Smith) Lineker* (Wright
I.) Daley
Highlights: Graham Taylor fielded sixteen players in what
was developing into a bewildering search for his best squad for the European
championships in Sweden. Gary Lineker turned goalmaker in the fifty-sixth
minute when his cross to the far post was forced into the net off a defender
by a determined Neil Webb. England's defence had been pulled inside out by the
Hungarian forwards in the first-half before they lost their momentum after a
series of missed chances.
No
458
Brazil, Wembley, 17.5.92. Drew 1-1
Woods Stevens Dorigo (Pearce) Palmer Walker Keown
Daley (Merson) Steven (Webb) Platt1
Lineker* Sinton (Rocastle)
Highlights: Gary Lineker, of all people, missed an early
penalty and the chance to equal Bobby Charlton's record, and it was an
inexperienced Brazilian team that took the lead in the twentieth minute
through Bebeto after a mistake by Gary Stevens. David Platt snatched an
equaliser ten minutes after half-time as England once again came from behind
to save a game. It was an experimental Brazilian team, rebuilding ready for a
challenge for the 1994 World Cup. There was sufficient evidence to suggest
they would once again be a force to be reckoned with in the United States, as
would England - surely?
No
459
Finland, Helsinki, 3.6.92. England won 2-1
Woods Stevens (Palmer) Pearce Keown Walker Wright M.
Platt2 Steven
(Daley) Webb Lineker* Barnes J. (Merson)
Highlights: England's final warm-up match before the
European championship finals in Sweden developed into a nightmare, with both
John Barnes and Gary Stevens sustaining injuries that knocked them out of the
tournament. Yet again England had to come from behind after Finland had taken
a twenty-seventh lead from a harshly awarded penalty against Trevor Steven.
Following a procession of missed chances, David Platt was on target seconds
before half-time. It was Platt, recently signed by Juventus from Bari, who
scored the winner in the sixty-second minute.
No
460
Denmark, Malmo, 11.6.92. Drew 0-0
Woods Curle (Daley) Pearce Palmer Walker Keown
Steven Platt Smith Lineker* Merson (Webb)
Highlights: England were hustled out of their stride by a
Danish team surprised to find themselves in the finals following the barring
of war-torn Yugoslavia. Concentrating on quick and incisive counter attacks,
it was Denmark who looked most likely to break the deadlock and England had a
lucky escape when a shot from John Jensen struck a post with goalkeeper Chris
Woods beaten. The English defence missed the steadying influence of injured
Mark Wright, but Carlton Palmer gave a good account of himself against a
Danish side in which Brian Laudrup was outstanding as the orchestrator of
their attacks. The Danes got better and better as the tournament wore on and
finally emerged as the unexpected champions.
No
461
France, Malmo, 14.6.92. Drew 0-0
Woods Stevens Pearce Palmer Walker Keown
Batty Platt Shearer Lineker* Sinton
Highlights: A game that was eagerly awaited fizzled out
into a tame draw, with both sides too cautious and frightened of defeat. A
Stuart Pearce free-kick from thirty yards shook the French crossbar, and David
Platt was inches wide with a diving header. There were few other England
scoring chances of note. One of the features of a disappointing game was the
struggle for supremacy between deadly French striker Papin and England
defender Des Walker. Papin was hardly allowed a kick, but managed one moment
of magic when his sudden shot was magnificently saved by Chris Woods. England
were struggling to find the back of the net, and searching questions were
being asked about Graham Taylor's tactics, which for the purists were too much
about the crude long-ball game.
No
462
Sweden, Stockholm, 17.6.92. England lost 2-1
Woods Batty Pearce Palmer Walker Keown
Daley Webb Platt1
Lineker* (Smith) Sinton (Merson)
Highlights: England's European championship challenge ended
with a depressing defeat by Sweden, who were allowed back into the game after
David Platt had scored an early goal. Tony Daley missed two opportunities to
make the game safe before Sweden gradually took control following the
half-time substitution of Anders Limpar by the veteran Johnny Ekstrom and a
change of tactics that had England's defenders completely bewildered. Jan
Eriksson headed an equaliser in the fifty-first minute, and as England
struggled to contain the suddenly buoyant Swedes Graham Taylor made the
controversial decision to call off skipper Gary Lineker for Alan Smith.
Lineker had fired his final shots for England after eighty caps and still a
goal short of Bobby Charlton's all-time record. England, needing a win to book
a place in the semi-finals, were being exposed to the perils of panic, and it
was the Swedes who conjured the goal that mattered seven minutes from the end
when the gifted Tomas Brolin exchanged passes with Dahlin before firing in the
winner. The media roof now fell in on Graham Taylor, who was depicted on the
back page of The Sun newspaper as a Turnip head – and ever since he has been
haunted by the nickname. 'Taylor the Turnip.' In the weeks following England's
exit stories emerged that revealed a huge split between Taylor and his skipper
Lineker had been damaging the team spirit during the European championships.
No
463
Spain, Santander, 9.9.92. England lost 1-0
Woods Dixon (Bardsley) (Palmer) Pearce* Ince Walker
Wright M.
White (Merson) Platt Clough Shearer Sinton (Deane)
Highlights: England gave a disjointed and punchless
performance against a slick Spanish team that deserved victory by a wider
margin. It might have been a different story if David White, making his debut
on the right side of the attack, had converted an early chance created for him
by Nigel Clough. Des Walker and Mark Wright looked uncomfortable at the heart
of the defence, and their indecision led to Spain's winning goal. This time
The Sun portrayed Graham Taylor's head as a Spanish onion. It was all going to
end in tears.
No 464
Norway, Wembley, 14.10.92. Drew 1-1
Woods Dixon (Palmer) Pearce* Batty Walker Adams
Platt1
Gascoigne Wright I. (Merson) Shearer Ince
Highlights: David Platt maintained the goal scoring form
that had been one of the few bonuses for Graham Taylor as England produced a
fighting performance against a vastly improved Norwegian team. Paul Gascoigne
stood out on his return to the international stage, and it was his flair and
imagination that brought the smile back to the face of English football. A
major worry for Taylor was the shot-shy performance from Ian Wright, who was
struggling to produce his club form at England level. Tony Adams brought
stability to the England defence that was dented only by a surprise long-range
shot that earned Norway a flattering draw in this World Cup qualifier.
No
465
Turkey, Wembley, 18.11.92. England won 4-0
Woods Dixon Pearce*1
Palmer Walker Adams
Platt Gascoigne2
Shearer1
Wright I. Ince
Highlights: Paul
Gascoigne monopolised this World Cup qualifying match with a spectacular solo
show, scoring two of the goals and having a big influence in a third. The
outplayed Turks were lucky not to concede at least three more goals as
Gascoigne's passes pulled their defence to shreds. Ian Wright combined well
with Alan Shearer, and was unfortunate not to break his England goal-scoring
duck. Des Walker marked his fiftieth international appearance with a faultless
display. He was always a thought and a deed ahead of the Turkish forwards and
he continually broke up their attempted counter attacks with his quick
interceptions and timely tackles.
No
466
San Marino, Wembley, 17.2.93. England won 6-0
Woods Dixon Dorigo Palmer1
Walker Adams
Batty Gascoigne Platt*4
Ferdinand1
Barnes
Highlights: Four
goals from David Platt lifted England to a satisfactory rather than stunning
victory against a mediocre team of part-time professionals who came only to
defend in this World Cup qualifier. Platt, an inspiring skipper in place of
the injured Stuart Pearce, had the chance to equal the individual England
five-goal record but his eighty-eighth minute penalty was superbly saved.
Platt's goals came in the thirteenth, twenty-fourth, sixty-seventh and
eighty-third minutes. Carlton Palmer scored with a diving header in the
seventy-eighth minute and Les Ferdinand marked his international debut with
England's sixth goal in the eighty-sixth minute. Paul Gascoigne was strangely
subdued in midfield and John Barnes, recalled after a long injury-forced
lay-off, had a personal nightmare with the frustrated England fans jeering and
booing him almost every time he touched the ball. Much of the taunting from
the crowd seemed racist in its content and would not be tolerated today.
No
467
Turkey, Izmir, 31.3.93. England won 2-0
Woods Dixon (Clough) Sinton Palmer Walker Adams
Platt*1
Gascoigne1
Barnes Wright (Sharpe) Ince
Highlights: A sixth
minute goal by David Platt, his tenth in ten internationals, put England on
the road to a courage-carved victory in this rough and tough World Cup
qualifying match in front of a hostile crowd. England’s players had to show
tremendous character as the Turkish fans aimed coins, bottles and fireworks at
them from the terraces. A looping header by Paul Gascoigne a minute before
half-time gave England a commanding lead that they had to battle to protect
against a Turkish team trying to score their first ever goal in eight
meetings. Lee Dixon was brutally kicked out of the match, and Paul Ince
switched from midfield to take his place at right-back to allow Nigel Clough
into the game as a substitute. Tony Adams was a source of strength and
inspiration in the middle of the England defence, and John Barnes regained his
dignity with a battling performance.
No
468
Holland, Wembley,
28.4.93. England drew 2-2
Woods Dixon Keown
Palmer Walker Adams
Platt*1
Gascoigne (Merson) Barnes J.1
Ferdinand Ince
Highlights: England
squandered a two-goal lead after taking command of this World Cup qualifier
with an impressive display of football matching anything previously produced
under Graham Taylor. John Barnes scored with a ferocious first-minute
free-kick, and David Platt added number two in he twenty-fourth minute.
Holland struck back ten minutes later with a glorious goal by Dennis Bergkamp,
who threatened to break the net with a magnificent volley. England were not so
effective after the departure of the injured Paul Gascoigne, and Walker
clumsily conceded a penalty in the eighty-fifth minute when he tugged the
shirt of Dutch dangerman Marc Overmars. Van Vossen slotted home the spot-kick
to rob England of a precious point. Suddenly England's World Cup life was
looking in danger.
No
469
Poland, Katowice,
29.5.93. England drew 1-1
Woods Bardsley
Dorigo Palmer (Wright1)
Walker Adams
Platt* Gascoigne
(Clough) Sheringham Barnes Ince
Highlights: England
trailed to a thirty-fourth minute goal following a careless mix-up between Des
Walker and John Barnes. Substitute Ian Wright scored his first goal for
England in nine appearances in the eighty-fourth minute to salvage a World Cup
point that was desperately needed. There was new subtlety in the England
attack with the introduction of Tottenham's gifted forward Teddy Sheringham.
'It is now vital that we also get at least a point in Norway next week,' said
Graham Taylor. 'Our destiny is in our own hands, and if we play to out full
potential there is no doubt at all that we can qualify for the finals.'
No
470
Norway, Oslo,
2.6.93. England lost 2-0
Woods Dixon
Pallister Palmer Walker (Clough) Adams
Platt* Gascoigne
Ferdinand Sheringham (Wright) Sharpe
Highlights: Graham
Taylor gambled on playing with three central defenders at the back, but the
players were clearly uncomfortable with the new tactics. Des Walker was caught
napping when Norway took a forty-third minute lead through Leonhardsen, the
Norwegian scoring a scrappy goal as Walker stood still disputing a refereeing
decision. Eight minutes after half-time Walker - one of the quickest defenders
in the English game - was outpaced before Bohinen beat goalkeeper Chris Woods
at his near post to seal a humiliating World Cup qualifying match defeat.
Graham Taylor came in for some savage criticism, particularly for introducing
new, untried tactics in such a crucial game. England now had to win all three
of their remaining qualifying matches to stand even an outside chance of going
to the United States for the finals. Perhaps the upcoming friendly trip to the
USA would help lift morale? Don't bet on it.
No
471
USA, Boston, 9.6.93.
England lost 2-0
Woods Dixon Dorigo
Pallister Palmer (Walker) Batty
Ince* Clough
Ferdinand (Wright) Barnes Sharpe
Highlights: England
started their three-match 'US 93' tournament with a degrading 2-0 defeat by
the United States. The game was played almost forty-three years to the day
that England suffered their humiliating 1-0 defeat by the United States in the
1950 World Cup finals. This was almost as bad, and particularly hard to
stomach for Paul Ince who became the first black player to captain England.
The Americans, including British-based players John Harkes of Sheffield
Wednesday and Roy Wegerle of Coventry, played with a composure and authority
that surprised an England team still shell shocked by the defeat in Norway.
Thomas Dooley, who played in Europe with Kaiserlautern, gave the United States
a deserved lead two minutes before half-time. Dooley limped off after a
reckless second-half tackle by Ince. Alexi Lalas, the red haired,
guitar-strumming Mr Personality of the USA squad, came on as substitute, and
within four minutes scored the second goal that knocked the heart out of a
jaded England side.
No
472
Brazil, Washington,
13.6.93. England drew 1-1
Flowers Barrett
Dorigo Pallister Walker Batty (Platt1)
Sinton Ince*
(Palmer) Clough Wright Sharpe
Highlights: England
regained some dignity with a draw against Brazil thanks to a headed goal by
David Platt, who scored with his first touch after coming on as a half-time
substitute for David Batty. Tim Flowers made an exceptional debut in the
England goal, making a series of superb saves. He stopped at least three
certain goals before Brazil forced an equalizer in the seventy-sixth minute
when Santos scored from close range after England had failed to clear a
corner. The game attracted 54,000 spectators to the Robert Kennedy Stadium in
Washington, a sign that the 1994 World Cup finals would pull in the crowds.
No
473
Germany. Detroit,
19.6.93. England lost 2-1
Martyn Barrett
Sinton Pallister (Keown) Walker
Platt*1
Ince Clough (Wright) Barnes Sharpe (Winterburn) Merson
Highlights: England
finished the tournament in bottom place after losing 2-1 to world champions
Germany in a match played indoors on grass. David Platt again scored England's
goal, his twelfth in fourteen games and his twentieth for England in total. It
was England's sixth match without a win, their worst run for twelve years.
Effenberg gave the Germans the lead in the twenty-sixth minute immediately
after Platt had shaved the bar with a header. Platt equalized late in the
first-half when he got himself perfectly positioned to steer in a Paul Ince
cross. The Germans clinched victory and the tournament trophy when Jurgen
Klinsmann tapped the loose ball home in the fifty-fourth minute after Nigel
Martyn had done well to parry a scorching shot from Hans Riedle. England came
out of the match with credit because they had the German defence fully
stretched for long periods, but Graham Taylor returned home knowing he was
living on borrowed time. The press were merciless in their criticism of his
tactics. 'I was made to feel like Public Enemy Number One,' he said later.
No
474
Poland, Wembley, 8.9.93 England won 3-0
Seaman Jones Pearce*1
Sharpe Pallister Adams
Platt Gascoigne1
Wright Ferdinand1
Ince
Highlights: England, inspired by a fiery and fluent
performance from Paul Gascoigne, were rarely stretched by a dispirited-looking
Poland side in this World Cup qualifier. They were in command from the fifth
minute when Les Ferdinand scored after receiving a perfectly flighted pass
from David Platt. The goal settled England’s nerves and they dominated the
match with an exciting, attacking display. Schemer Gascoigne turned scorer in
the forty-ninth minute and four minutes later Stuart Pearce blasted in a
well-worked free-kick from twenty-two yards. The only scar on the evening was
a caution for Gascoigne that would keep him out of the next World Cup
qualifier in Holland.
No
475
Holland, Rotterdam, 13.10.93 England lost 2-0
Seaman Parker Dorigo Palmer (Sinton) Adams Pallister
Platt* Merson (Wright) Shearer Sharpe Ince
Highlights: England’s World Cup hopes all but evaporated in
controversial circumstances in Rotterdam. Early in the second-half of an even
game, Dutch defender Ronald Koeman was lucky to escape with only a booking
when he cynically pulled down David Platt as the England captain was clear
through on goal. The rules clearly state that a defender should be sent off
for this type of professional foul. It was Koeman, the man who should have
been in the dressing-room, who popped up at the other end of the pitch in the
sixty-first minute to chip in a twice-taken free-kick to give Holland the
lead. Six minutes later Dennis Bergkamp beat David Seaman with a low shot from
outside the penalty area to wrap up the game and virtually end England's World
Cup life ... and Graham Taylor's reign as England manager. In a fascinating
fly-on-the-wall television documentary shown some months later we got a taste
of the sort of pressure Taylor was under. He was filmed on the touchline
almost having a nervous breakdown, using the f--- word more than thirty times,
and giving a new catchphrase to the country, 'Do I not like that.'
No
476
San Marino, Bologna, 17.11.93 England won 7-1
Seaman Dixon Pearce* Walker Pallister Ince2
Ripley Platt Wright4
Ferdinand1
Sinton
Highlights: Graham
Taylor's final match as manager ended in farce and embarrassment as England
conceded the quickest goal in their history to tiny San Marino. Part-timer
Davide Gualtieri pounced on a Stuart Pearce back-pass to score after just nine
seconds. Needing to win by seven clear goals to have any chance of qualifying
for the World Cup finals, England never really recovered from this
first-minute humiliation and a scrappy display was lifted only by Ian Wright's
four-goal haul against woefully weak opposition. It all proved academic
because Holland clinched the World Cup place with a victory in Poland. Taylor
was in charge for 38 matches, of which 18 were won, 13 drawn and seven lost.
In retrospect it was easy to see that the Football Association were wrong to
appoint Taylor and his righthand man Lawrie McMenemy. Neither kicked a ball in
the (old) First Division let alone for England, and their first experience of
the international game was when they took over the running of the England
team. Both are immensely likeable men with strong personalities, but they
were handicapped by not having had even the tiniest taste of international
football. It meant that both were learning as they went along from their first
day in the job, and when things started to go wrong they struggled to get the
respect of experienced players who were disdainful of their lack of playing
achievements. Now, enter El Tel!
No 477
Denmark, Wembley, 9.3.94 England
won 1-0
Seaman Parker Le Saux Pallister
Adams Ince (Batty)
Gascoigne (Le Tissier) Anderton
Platt*1
Shearer Beardsley
Highlights: The Terry Venables era began with an impressive
home win against European champions Denmark, who played without passion or
fire. England were bright and positive throughout the game and their passing
and fluent movement was refreshing to see after some of the more direct and
less subtle tactics used under Graham Taylor. David Platt neatly steered in
the winning goal with his left foot after sixteen
minutes following creative work from debutant Graeme Le Saux and
fit-again Alan Shearer. England's other new cap, winger
Darren Anderton, grew in stature throughout the game and was unlucky not to
score when he had a clever chip cleared off the line. Peter Beardsley was in
peerless form as he collected his fiftieth England
cap after three wasted years in the international wilderness.
No
478
Greece, Wembley, 12.5.94. England
won 5-0
Seaman (Flowers) Jones Le
Saux Ince (Wise) Adams Pallister
Platt*2 Gascoigne
(Le Tissier) Shearer1 Beardsley1 Anderton1
Highlights: England
outclassed a Greek team that had no answer to the pace and skill of an England
attack in which Darren Anderton – always highly regarded by Terry Venables -
was particularly impressive with his work out on the right wing which brought
the bonus of his first international goal. Paul Gascoigne was back to his
cheeky best, and his fellow Geordie Peter Beardsley scored his first goal
since his recall to the international stage. Platt played a captain's role and
was rewarded for his effort with two goals, while Alan Shearer added to the
Geordie victory parade by taking one of the four excellent chances that came
his way.
No
479
Norway, Wembley, 23.5.94. England
drew 0-0
Seaman Jones (Barton) Le
Saux (Pearce) Ince Adams Pallister
Platt* Gascoigne (Le Tissier) Shearer Beardsley Anderton
Highlights: England had overwhelming possession yet could
muster only a couple of half-chances against a Norwegian team packed with
seven British-based players and plainly interested in strolling through the
game ready for their trip to the United States for the Englandless World Cup
finals. The nearest England came to scoring was when Alan Shearer, taking a
free-kick quickly, surprised goalkeeper Thorstvedt, who pushed his shot
against the post. From the rebound Platt thought he claimed the winner of this
dour affair. But the referee ordered the free kick, from which England thought
they had scored, to be retaken. England lacked the inventiveness and the guile
to change the pace and shape of attacks against the massed Norwegain defence.
Venables comforted himself afterwards with the assertion that his three games
to date had been invaluable, 'We have got a spirit going, and we are getting a
shape to the team,' he said. 'It is a beginning.'
No
480
USA, Wembley, 7.9.94. England won
2-0
Seaman Jones Le Saux
Pallister Adams Anderton
Venison Platt* Barnes Shearer2
(Ferdinand) Sheringham (Wright)
Highlights: England worked at
trying to perfect their much-vaunted Christmas Tree formation introduced amid
huge media interest by Terry Venables. But there was nothing to suggest it
made them any more potent against an uninspired United States team unable to
find the form that had brought them huge support in the World Cup finals. One
of the few encouraging things was the powerhouse performance of two-goal Alan
Shearer, who was always too much of a handful for the overworked American
defence. Barry Venison made a satisfactory debut in the first of his two
England appearances.
No
481
Romania, Wembley, 10.12.94.
England drew 1-1
Seaman Jones
(Pearce) Le Saux Adams* Pallister Lee1
(Wise)
Ince Barnes Le Tissier Shearer
Wright (Sheringham)
Highlights: A debut
goal from Newcastle midfielder Robert Lee gave England a draw they hardly
deserved against a Romanian team that continued in the bright fashion that
made them one of the outstanding sides in World Cup 94. England could not
match the procession of precise passes with which the Romanians dictated and
decorated the game, and it might well have been the first defeat of the Terry
Venables reign had they been more positive in the penalty area. Matthew Le
Tissier, the idol of Southampton, was given a full ninety minutes for a change
but was still unable to produce his electric club form.
No
482
Nigeria, Wembley, 16.11.94.
England won 1-0
Flowers Jones Le Saux Howey Ruddock
Wise
Lee (McManaman) Platt*1 Barnes Shearer
(Sheringham) Beardsley (Le Tissier)
Highlights: Nigeria
provided more evidence that African football was fast catching up – overtaking
even – the rest of the world, and England were very fortunate to win a
full-blooded encounter. A well-taken goal by captain David Platt separated the
two teams at the end, but it could so easily have been a 3-1 victory to
Nigeria but for some desperate defending. The experimental partnership of Neil
Ruddock and Stephen Howey did little to boost confidence at the back, and
goalkeeper Tim Flowers was often less than certain as to when to come off his
line because of a lack of understanding with the central defenders. Terry
Venables sent on Steve McManaman, Teddy Sheringham and Matthew Le Tissier in a
bid to increase the skill input, but it was the Nigerians who continued to
exhibit the better ball control.
No
483
Republic of Ireland,
Dublin, 15.2.95. Match abandoned after 27 minutes
Seaman Barton Le Saux Adams Pallister Anderton
Platt* Ince Le Tissier Beardsley Shearer
Highlights: A David Kelly goal had
put the Republic a goal in front when the notorious hooligan element among
England's supporters started a riot that was such a danger to the peaceful
majority that the referee was forced to abandon the game after twenty-seven
minutes. This was the first away match of the Terry Venables reign, and he
joined in the chorus of criticism of the behaviour of a small, but spiteful
minority of fans who were dragging the name of English football into the
gutter. All the players were awarded caps for the unfinished match, but the
final scoreline did not go into the record books
No
484
Uruguay, Wembley, 29.3.95. England
drew 0-0
Flowers Jones Le Saux (McManaman) Adams Pallister Venison
Anderton Platt* Barnes Beardsley
(Barmby) Sheringham (Cole)
Highlights: Not for the first (or
last time) a Uruguayan team came to Wembley with only defence in mind. The
crowd jeered an unimaginative performance by England, who had neither the will
nor the way to break through the mass of defenders double parked on them, with
just two players left upfield to give England the occasional headache with
quick counter attacks. Nick Barmby and Andy Cole came on for their first
international action as second-half substitutes, but they could do nothing to
break down the effective Uruguayan defence that throttled all life out of a
best-forgotten game.
No
485
Japan, Wembley, 3.6.95. England
won 2-1
Flowers Neville Pearce Scales Unsworth Anderton1
Batty (Gascoigne) Platt*1 Beardsley
(McManaman) Shearer Collymore (Sheringham)
Highlights: Yet another contrived
summer tournament - The Umbro Cup - kicked off with England taking on Japan
for the first time. Once again the Terry Venables luck was in, with most
neutral observers considering England greatly flattered by their 2-1 victory.
Darren Anderton and skipper David Platt scored the goals that won the match
for England against a Japanese team that played with enormous enthusiasm and
well-developed skill. It was only in the air that England were vastly
superior, but they were unable to cash in on this advantage. Gary Neville made
a sound debut at right-back, while John Scales and David Unsworth played
together for the only time at international level.
No
486
Sweden, Elland Road, 8.6.95
England drew 3-3
Flowers Barton Le Saux Pallister
(Scales) Cooper Barnes (Gascoigne)
Platt*1 Anderton1 Beardsley
(Barmby) Shearer Sheringham1
Highlights: Sweden, fresh from
finishing third in World Cup 94, were 3-1 clear and coasting when stunned by
two goals in the last two minutes by David Platt and Darren Anderton.
England's first goal in front of an enthusiastic Elland Road crowd was scored
by Teddy Sheringham, the first of his international career. The Houdini-style
escape by England saved the unbeaten record of Terry Venables, who seemed to
be a manager blessed with luck. It was the first time England had conceded
three goals at Wembley since West Germany beat Sir Alf Ramsey's team 3-1 in a
1972 European championship qualifying tie.
No
487
Brazil, Wembley, 11.6.95 England
lost 3-1
Flowers Neville Pearce Scales
(Barton) Cooper Anderton
Batty (Gascoigne) Platt* Le Saux1 Shearer Sheringham
(Collymore)
Highlights: How ironic that the
best performance to date by England under the Terry Venables banner coincided
with the first defeat for the man dubbed 'El Tel' because of his experiences
as manager of Barcelona. England were outstanding in the first-half, and at
the peak of their power took the lead against the world champions when Graeme
Le Saux scored with a crashing volley. Brazil pressed the accelerator in the
second-half and in a purple patch scored three goals that left the England
defenders breathless from chasing shadows. But for an hour England had more
than held their own against the best team in the world, and Venables took hope
from the performance that he could make a proper challenge for the European
championship when it was staged in England a year later.
No
488
Colombia, Wembley, 6.9.95. England
drew 0-0
Seaman Neville Le Saux Howey Adams* Wise
Redknapp
(Lee) Gascoigne (Barnes) Shearer (Sheringham) McManaman Barmby
Highlights: This goalless and
otherwise uneventful game will always be remembered for one of the most
fantastic saves ever witnessed at Wembley. Jamie Redknapp fired in a snap
shot, and everybody in the stadium looked on open mouthed as Colombian
goalkeeper Rene Higuta performed a double overhead kick clearance. It became
known as the Scorpion Save, and has featured in just about every video of
off-beat football moments that have been produced since the game. England were
the better team but could not translate their territorial advantage into
goals.
No
489
Norway, Oslo, 11.10.95. England
drew 0-0
Seaman Neville Adams* Pallister Pearce Wise (Stone)
Redknapp Lee Barmby (Sheringham) McManaman Shearer
Highlights: This was a carbon copy
of the goalless draw that had bored the Wembley spectators to bits in the
third match of the Terry Venables reign. England's failure to find the net for
a second successive match was a major worry for England in general and for
Alan Shearer in particular. The player who could not stop scoring at club
level had now gone eight international matches without putting the ball into
the net. The good news for Venables is that his defence looked strong and
stable, with Tony Adams and Gary Pallister forming a steady partnership at the
heart of the defence. Nottingham Forest's Steve Stone came on as a second half
substitute to gain the first of eight caps in a game that was forgotten almost
as soon as the final whistle sounded.
No
490
Switzerland, Wembley, 15.11.95.
England won 3-1
Seaman Neville Adams* Pallister Pearce1 Gascoigne
Redknapp (Stone1) Lee Sheringham1 Shearer McManaman
Highlights: The pulsating
performance that Terry Venables had been promising came at last against a very
useful Swiss team that had qualified for the Euro 96 championships. Not
panicked by going a goal down, England started to put together the sort of
passing movements that were at the foundation of the Venables playing
philosophy. He had been a master passer in his playing career, and has always
liked his teams to make the ball do the talking. England had to overcome the
handicap of losing Jamie Redknapp with an injury after only six minutes, and
substitute Steve Stone brought tremendous enthusiasm and energy to the right
wing. Stuart Pearce wiped out the Swiss lead with a scorching shot from 30
yards. England took complete control in the second-half and their enterprise
was rewarded with goals from Sheringham and Stone. It was being whispered, but
had Venables actually started to put together a team that could win the
European championship?
No
491
Portugal, Wembley, 12.12.95.
England drew 1-1
Seaman Neville Pearce (Le Saux) Adams* Howey Gascoigne
Stone1 Wise
(Southgate) Barmby (McManaman) Shearer Ferdinand (Beardsley)
Highlights: Portugal opened with
style and grace, and England were often stretched close to breaking point. But
this Terry Venables team had character, and they withstood an early avalanche
without conceding a goal and started to hit back with thrusting football of
their own. Steve Stone, this time starting the game, was again outstanding and
gave England the lead with a magnificent shot from twenty yards moments before
half-time. Portugal equalized early in a splendid second-half, with both teams
producing football of the highest quality. England almost snatched victory
when substitute Gareth Southgate marked his debut by heading against the
crossbar. 'We got a taste of what Euro 96 is going to be like,' said Terry
Venables. 'I can't wait.'
No
492
Bulgaria, Wembley, 27.3.96.
England won 1-0
Seaman Neville Howey Southgate Pearce* Stone
Ince Gascoigne (Platt) McManaman Sheringham
(Lee) Ferdinand1
(Fowler)
Highlights: Les Ferdinand
announced his return to the England attack with an early goal as Bulgaria were
pushed back under a storm of attacks. There was a swagger about England, and
they should have been at least three goals clear by half-time. Then, as if
wanting to prove that football really is a game of two halves, they lost their
drive and direction in the second-half and allowed the Bulgarians back into
the game. In the last minute, a groan went round Wembley when Bulgaria forced
the ball into the net but as their players celebrated what they thought was an
equalizer the referee was explaining that he had spotted a handball and
disallowed the goal. 'The football we played in the first forty-five minutes
is the sort of standard we must set ourselves for the European championships,'
said Terry Venables, who preferred not to talk about the second-half.
No
493
Croatia, Wembley, 24.4.96. England
drew 0-0
Seaman Neville Wright Pearce Platt* Ince
Stone McManaman Gascoigne Fowler Sheringham
Highlights: Croatia came to contain rather than conquer,
and frustrated England with defensive tactics that completely spoiled the game
as a spectacle. England would have won comfortably but for five squandered
chances, with the lively Robbie Fowler the biggest offender. The statistics
speak for themselves: England had 13 attempts on goal to just four by Croatia.
Terry Venables experimented with three rather than four defenders in the back
line, Mark Wright flanked by Gary Neville and Stuart Pearce. It worked to a
degree, but the Croatians - beautifully composed on the ball – did not give
the system a proper test because of their negative approach. England very
nearly got the win they deserved ten minutes from the end when Steve McManaman
drilled the ball against a post.
No
494
Hungary, Wembley, 18.5.96. England
won 3-0
Seaman
(Walker) Neville Pearce Wright (Southgate) Ince (Campbell)
Platt*1
(Wise) Lee Anderton 2 Wilcox Sheringham Ferdinand (Shearer)
Highlights: Tottenham team-mates
Ian Walker and Sol Campbell came on as substitutes for their first
international appearances in England's last home game before the European
championships. Another Tottenham player, Darren Anderton, scored two on his
return to the team and skipper David Platt maintained his remarkable goal
scoring record with the third goal against a Hungarian side that was never
allowed to get into its stride.
No
495
China, Beijing, 23.5.96. England
won 3-0
Flowers (Walker) G.Neville P.Neville Adams*
(Ehiogu) Southgate Redknapp
Anderton McManaman (Stone)
Gascoigne1 Barmby2
(Beardsley) Shearer (Fowler)
Highlights: The Neville brothers
became the first siblings to represent England since the Charltons, and there
was also a debut cap for Aston Villa's Ugo Ehiogu in this first international
against China. The Far East tour was designed as a gentle warm-up tour before
the high pressure of the European championship finals at home. England won in
a canter to chalk up their first back to back wins since Terry Venables took
over the managerial reins. Two goals from Nick Barmby and a third from Paul
Gascoigne clinched victory that was even easier than the scoreline suggests.
No
496
Hong Kong XI, Hong
Kong, 26.5.96. England won 1-0
Seaman P.Neville Adams Howey
(Campbell) Pearce Stone (Anderton)
Ince Platt* McManaman
(Wilcox) Ferdinand1
(Shearer) Sheringham (Fowler)
Highlights: Thankfully, the
Football Association refused to award caps for this game against a team that
would struggle to survive in the English Third Division. It would have been
quickly kicked into the dustbin of history but for the after-match antics of a
group of the England players, who were pictured getting legless while playing
drinking games in a Hong Kong club. This included players having drinks poured
down their throats while lying in a pseudo dentist's chair. They then caused a
disturbance on the flight home, and the tabloids really went to town on them.
It was alleged that Paul Gascoigne was at the centre of the drinking spree,
underlining what Graham Taylor had claimed during his England management -
that Gazza too often needed to be fuelled by alcohol. The drinking culture was
- and remains - a huge problem with too many English footballers. So the
Terry Venables team went into the European championships under a cloud of
controversy.
No 497
Switzerland, Wembley, 8.6.96.
England drew 1-1
Seaman G.Neville Pearce
Adams* Southgate Anderton
Ince McManaman (Stone) Shearer1
Gascoigne (Platt) Sheringham (Barmby)
Highlights: Alan Shearer scored
his first goal at international level for over two years to give England an
encouraging send-off to Euro 96, but the pressure then seemed to get to the
players and they finally finished up happy to escape with a draw against a
well disciplined Swiss side. The Shearer goal – his first in fourteen England
matches – came midway through the first-half. The two Pauls, Gascoigne and
Ince, combined to put Shearer clear and he hammered the ball in off the near
post to end his famine at the most opportune time. Terry Venables sent on Nick
Barmby, David Platt and Steve Stone in place of Teddy Sheringham, Steve
McManaman and Gascoigne in the seventieth minute as England started to lose
the midfield battle. The goal Switzerland had been threatening throughout the
second-half came from a penalty eight minutes from the end following a
disputed handball by Stuart Pearce. It could have been worse. Only a
magnificent save by David Seaman in the closing moments prevented Switzerland
from snatching a winner. 'We were dead on our feet in the second-half,' said
Venables. 'We know we must improve of this, and out next game against Scotland
is going to be absolutely vital.'
No
498
Scotland, Wembley, 15.6.96.
England won 2-0
Seaman G.Neville Adams* Southgate Pearce
(Redknapp) (Campbell) Anderton
Ince (Stone) McManaman Shearer1
Gascoigne1 Sheringham
Highlights: This was the first England-Scotland encounter for seven years, and
the first time they had met in the finals of a major competition. After a
scrappy, nervous first-half, England stepped up a gear and a peak-form Alan
Shearer scored his second goal of the tournament with a superb header from a
Gary Neville cross in the fifty-second minute. There was a dramatic,
unforgettable sequence of play eleven minutes from the end that captured just
why soccer is such a magnetic game. David Seaman saved magnificently from a
Gary McAllister penalty, and moments later the ball was at the other end of
the field where Paul Gascoigne conjured a gem of a goal. He looped the ball
over the head of Colin Hendry and then hammered it on the volley deep into
the Scottish net. He celebrated by going to a chosen spot at the side
of the Scottish goal, and as he lay down England team-mates poured bottled
water down his throat in a send-up of the dentist's chair incident. The crowd
loved it, and suddenly the England players were forgiven their boisterous
behaviour in Hong Kong. Buoyant England now needed just a point against
Holland to clinch a place in the quarter-finals.
No
499
Holland, Wembley, 18.6.96. England
won 4-1
Seaman G.Neville Adams* Southgate Pearce Anderton
Ince (Platt) McManaman Gascoigne Shearer2
(Barmby) Sheringham2
(Fowler)
Highlights: England produced one
of their greatest ever team performances, pulverizing Holland in the process
and booking their place in the Euro 96 quarter-finals. The Dutchmen were
played off the park, with Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham each scoring
twice, Holland only made sure of qualification by scoring a late goal which
meant an exit for unlucky Scotland. England could have been three goals clear
before Shearer netted goal number one from the penalty spot. Terry Venables
looked on proudly - perhaps close to disbelief - as England touched absolute
perfection in the second-half. Sheringham headed a corner kick high into the
net in the fifty-first minute, and six minutes later Steve McManaman and Paul
Gascoigne combined to find Sheringham, who unselfishly pushed the ball into
the path of Shearer, who threatened to break the net with a shot that brought
his fourth goal in three games. The fourth goal followed when van der Sar
failed to hold a fizzing shot from Anderton. Sheringham moved quickly to force
the loose ball into the net to make it an unbelievable 4-0. 'As good as it
gets,' said a jubilant Terry Venables. 'But that's only the first part of our
job completed. Spain will be tough to beat in the quarter-finals.'
No
500
Spain, Wembley,
22.6.96 England won 4-2 (on pens) (0-0 aet)
Seaman G.Neville Adams* Southgate Pearce Anderton
(Fowler)
Platt McManaman (Barmby) Shearer Gascoigne Sheringham
(Stone)
Highlights: After
the raw excitement of the game against Scotland and the stunning skill showed
against Holland, this Euro 96 quarter-final fell flat. Only some excellent
saves by David Seaman stopped Spain winning in normal time, and he was again
in almost unbeatable form when the match went to penalties. Alan Shearer,
David Platt, Stuart Pearce, and Paul Gascoigne found the net to give England a
4-2 victory in the cruel form of football's Russian roulette. It was a
personal triumph for man-of-character Pearce, who brought the crowd to their
feet with his flourished fist salute after he scored from the spot to wipe out
the memory of his miss in the 1990 World Cup semi-finals. For Spain, this was
their first defeat in the twenty matches they had played since the 1994 World
Cup. What a sad way for them to go out. To try to get round the spate of
penalty shoot-outs that were deciding major matches, UEFA introduced a 'Golden
Goal' sudden-death system. The first team to score in extra-time would be the
winners. But still two quarter-finals went to shoot-outs, including this
victory by England over Spain.
No
501
Germany, Wembley, 26.6.96. England
lost 6-5 on pens after 1-1 aet
Seaman Adams* Southgate Pearce Anderton Platt
Ince McManaman Gascoigne Shearer1
Sheringham
Highlights: The old enemy Germany - not just West,
but Deutschland alles - were waiting for England in the semi-final. As
if in an action replay of their 1990 World Cup encounter the game was decided
by penalties after a 1-1 draw (Alan Shearer scored his fifth goal of the
tournament after three minutes, a goal cancelled out by Kuntz after sixteen
minutes). This time it was Gareth Southgate who missed from the spot to leave
the Germans as 5-4 winners. Terry Venables had been unable to agree a new
contract with the FA, and was allowed to stand down immediately after the
tournament to be replaced by another former Tottenham favourite, Glenn Hoddle.
Venables said at the close of his England adventure (11 wins, 11 draws and
only one defeat): 'I am disappointed with the way it ended because there is
nothing more heart-breaking than to go out on penalties in a semi-final. It’s
like getting ready to sit down at a wonderful banquet when somebody takes the
chair away from under you. But I am immensely proud of the players, and they
can go away with heads high. The performances against Scotland and, in
particular, Holland provided exactly the football we had planned, and we gave
as good as we got against Germany until the lottery of the shoot-out. I have
thoroughly enjoyed being in charge of the team, and in different circumstances
it would have been nice to carry on. But that’s not to be. I now hand over to
Glenn, and I wish him the best of luck. He has some smashing players to work
with.'
____________________
CG
England
Football Online