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England has a long history of tournament misery with some notorious exits. Since their sole victory at the 1966 World Cup, theirs has been a far different story. Near misses, key injuries and notable penalty defeats are too familiar a story for Three Lions supporters. It is partly why, despite having a wealth of talent at their disposal, there are many supporters who feel that it’s just not meant to be for England.
Euro 2024 could be different. England has a strong squad, and it is among the favorites to lift the trophy on July 14. Regardless, the memory of tournament exits plagues the minds of the England faithful. Here’s a potted history of some of the crueler ways in which England has conspired to exit tournaments.
Famous England international tournament exits over the years
1986 World Cup – The Hand of God (and feet of a genius)
England faced Argentina in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup. Lining up for their opponents was a player whose singular talents were starting to be widely recognized and who would use the tournament as undeniable proof that he was the greatest player in the world: Diego Maradona. His performance against England was a calling card that displayed both his incredible footballing gifts and his utter determination to win. He scored both of the goals in a 2-1 victory and each of them would go on to live long in the memory.
It was his first that remains a hard pill for England to swallow – Maradona, a man under 5-and-a-half-feet tall – ‘outjumped’ a 6ftplus goalkeeper to head the ball home. Although he didn’t. He punched the ball home and later cheekily claimed it was ‘the hand of God’ behind the goal. His second, a mazy solo run from inside his half, took out the entire England defense. It remains the greatest goal scored in a World Cup. England fell to injustice and inspiration.
1990 World Cup – Penalty defeat to Germany
For the first time since 1966 England reached the last four of an…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/uefa-euro/a-history-of-englands-tournament-exits/
Author : Matthew Walsh
Publish date : 2024-06-16 15:30:00
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