admin
When it comes to England’s presence on the international field, they have always been a strong contender in the tournaments they have been a part of. With so many brilliant moments, it’s hard to pinpoint which ones are the best, but we have done our best and compiled what we think are the top five.
online football bets have always had England with good odds to win most of their games, and for a good reason. They have had some of the greatest players grace the field, but sadly something hasn’t quite clicked for them on the international stage. Here are five of the best moments in England’s history, hopefully not the last.
England 4-1 Netherlands (1996)
England never seems to do things by half measures, even if they don’t always come out on top. In 1996, England secured their place in the quarterfinals with the superior strike force of Sheringham and Shearer, who outplayed the world-class opposition in Patrick Kluivert, Dennis Bergkamp and Edwin Van der Sar.
A thing that made this result a little sweeter for the English fans was, surprisingly, the goal scored by Patrick Kluivert. At the time of the game, the Dutch and Scotland were leveled on points, but the Scots had a better goal difference. If the game had stayed at 4-0, the Tartan Army would have progressed to the next competition stage. The 4-1 result was a double win for England and the supporting fans.
Germany 1-5 England (2001)
Before the epic game against Greece came the one against Germany in Berlin. This match saw a three-way battle between England, Finland, and Germany to qualify for a position in the 2002 World Cup position. The Three Lions had to beat their biggest rivals in Germany to go forward and play the finals in South Korea and Japan.
Germany had only lost one of their qualifying matches at home in their entire history, and while England was hopeful before the game, nobody expected the result that unfolded. England, then managed by the Swedish Sven Goran Erickson, was a formidable side from front to back, with everything from the power of David Seaman in the net to the hat-trick-scoring hero Michael Owen. The former Liverpool forward managed to slot one in with a headed effort, nullifying Carsten Jancker’s earlier effort. Before halftime, fellow Liverpool star Steven Gerrard put England ahead with a blasted effort from 25 yards out.
Owen managed to get his second and third goals in the second half, sparking crazy celebrations from the fans, before Emile Heskey scored the fifth and final goal to show Germany who was boss. All the goals being scored by present and former Liverpool players were great for Merseyside and England.
England 2-0 Germany (2021)
There could be a bias towards this game, being how recent it was compared to other matches on our list, but the performances seen here were genuinely outstanding. Fans were back in their droves to watch international football live once again. England beat Germany 2-0 in Euro 2020 in the last-16 fixture at Wembley.
While England reached the final of this tournament, this was the most crucial match of the build-up when trying to achieve it. Winning a game like this gave the players the same sense of belief they needed to go the whole way, and although that wasn’t meant to be, a win against Germany always holds something substantial for England and its fans. The Harry Kane goal, the Thomas Muller miss, and the full-time celebrations were special. Indeed, a game will be in our memories for a long time.
England 2-2 Greece (2001)
After beating Germany and Albania in the final two group matches, England only needed a single point to ensure they qualified for the 2002 World Cup, avoiding an intensified route in the pay-offs. But, true to form, the Three Lions made it as difficult as they could for themselves, falling behind in the first half from a strike by Angelos Christeas and some sloppy Rio Ferdinand defending.
It wasn’t going as planned until a crazy final 10 minutes in what is described as the most entertaining climax to an international match in history. Teddy Sheringham put the ball in the back of the net just 10 seconds after coming onto the pitch, seemingly rescuing England’s chances for qualification. Rio Ferdinand made a second mistake in the game that was capitalized by Demis Nikolaidis, putting the Greeks in the lead again just a minute after the equalizer.
David Beckham stepped up for a set piece in the last innings of stoppage time. He had previously missed five set-piece chances during the game, but things were about to change. Becks curled an unstoppable shot to send Old Trafford into disarray, putting England through to the 2002 World Cup.
England 4-2 West Germany (World Cup Final 1966)
This game is England’s greatest-ever game and arguably the greatest-ever World Cup final in the tournament’s history. A last-minute goal from Germany to make things all square at 2-2 had the venom to crush the England team, but the most magical moment in England’s history was just about to happen. No one is sure if Geoff Hurst’s second-match goal crossed the line, but the only man who mattered at that moment was the linesman, who thought it did.
Some backs-to-the-wall defending occurred after that, but suddenly the ball was booted out to the left, reaching Hurst, who went to complete his hat-trick. They think it’s all over! It is now!