MARTIN O’NEILL AND his players may be heading home today after the Euros but England will be tonight hoping to set up a meeting with Ireland’s conquerors France.
Roy Hodgson’s side will take on Iceland in Nice and remarkably will be hoping to claim only England’s second ever win in a European championship knockout match.
England have endured a wretched record in knockout games with the 1996 quarter-final win over Spain, their only previous success at that stage of the competition.
And that win was on home soil in Wembley and was only secured in a penalty shootout, before England subsequently lost out at the semi-final stage on penalties to Germany.
The record below paints the picture of England’s struggles. With the Euros initially a four-team competition, England only featured in 1968 when they lost out in the semi-finals.
1996 was the next time they reached the knockout stages and since then they have suffered penalty shootout losses in 2012 and 2004 at the hands of Italy and Portugal respectively.
Still, it seems England have a glorious opportunity to finally claim another victory tonight. They are 1/2 to win in the 90 minutes against an Iceland side that are rank outsiders at 8/1.
Do you think England will finally end this particular losing streak and set up a quarter-final clash in Paris next Sunday with France?
The England Knockout Euros Record
- 2012: Italy 0-0 England (Italy win 4-2 pens) – Quarter-final
- 2008: Did not qualify
- 2004: Portugal 2-2 England (Portugal win 6-5 pens) – Quarter-final
- 2000: Finish third in group
- 1996: England 0-0 Spain (England win 4-2 pens) – Quarter-final; Germany 1-1 England (Germany win 6-5 pens) – Semi-final
- 1992: Finish 4th in group
- 1988: Finish 4th in group
- 1984: Did not qualify
- 1980: Finish 3rd in group
- 1976: Did not qualify
- 1972: Did not qualify
- 1968: Lost semi-final 1-0 to Yugoslavia (only four teams in tournament)
- 1964: Did not qualify
- 1960: Did not qualify
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