For years, all fans of England knew on the world stage was a disappointment. The best their so-called Golden Generation could achieve was three consecutive quarterfinal eliminations. In fact, under Steve McLaren, they didn’t even make it to Euro 2008, a tournament that took place just a month after the first-ever all-English UEFA Champions League Final.
If you thought that the Belgians were disappointing this winter, think again. At least the Red Devils managed a semi-final appearance in Russia four years ago. No, England’s supposed Golden Generation, consisting of the likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, and of course, David Beckham, couldn’t have performed much worse.
But in recent years, the fortunes of the Three Lions have changed. Gareth Southgate, the man that no one except the FA wanted, took charge of his country six years ago, and the former Middlesbrough and Aston Villa man has done a sterling job. He led England to their first World Cup semifinal since Italia ‘90 four years ago, before following that up with a trip to a first major final since they won the World Cup in 1966 four years ago.
As we all know, both of those ties resulted in heartbreak, firstly to Croatia and then to Italy. But there can be no denying the incredible work that Southgate has done during his tenure. His work had been so impressive that soccer lines and outrights on the 2022 FIFA World Cup had made England one of the favorites for glory this winter.
After topping their group, they will now face Senegal in the last 16, with the winners of that tussle will face reigning champions France in the quarterfinals. Facing Les Bleus with a fit and firing Kylian Mbappe is a difficult task for anyone, but the Three Lions have impressed in the knockout stages before. Here are some of their finest victories…
England 2-0 Germany – Euro 2020
Expectations for England during last summers delayed European Championships were the highest they had been for some time. England had just reached the semifinals of the previous World Cup against all odds and had even reached the finals of the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019. With young talent coming through the ranks such as Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham and Jack Grealish, many thought that The Three Lions’ 55 years of hurt may be coming to an end.
But when the group stages got underway, Southgate’s side had underwhelmed. They had Raheem Sterling to thank for topping their group, with the former Manchester City man scoring the only goals in 1-0 victories over both Croatia and the Czech Republic. Sandwiched between those victories was a drab goalless draw with Scotland that did little to inspire.
But for the first time in four major tournaments, they had topped their group. And their reward for that achievement? A second-round tie against Germany, a team that had famously gotten the better of England so many times previously.
The stage was set at Wembley for a high-stakes knockout game for the ages, and it was the Germans who threatened early through Kai Havertz. The Chelsea man brought two brilliant saves from ‘keeper Jordan Pickford. In generations previous, the English would have folded, but this new look side is made of sterner stuff.
The match was a nervy affair and was on a knife edge, but with just 15 minutes remaining, England’s main man, Raheem Sterling, made the breakthrough. The former Liverpool winger tapped in from Luke Shaw’s cross to send the fans inside Wembley into raptures. And 10 minutes later, England had doubled their lead, with captain Harry Kane getting himself onto the scoresheet and sealing the victory once and for all.
England 1-1 Colombia (Eng win 4-3 on penalties) – 2018 World Cup
We all remember England’s march to the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup in Russia, but that charge very nearly didn’t get off the ground.
After finishing second behind Belgium in their group, Gareth Southgate’s side had a difficult-looking second-round tie with Colombia to navigate. The Colombians, with the likes of Radamel Falcao, Juan Cuadrado, and James Rodriguez in their side, had reached the quarter-finals in Brazil four years prior, and they were aiming to do the same again when the pair met in Moscow.
This England side didn’t yet have the talent of Bellingham and co. but it did have Harry Kane leading the line, who – as commentator Peter Drury put it – was “England’s priceless gem.” And the Spurs striker proved that he was exactly that when he gave his side the lids from the penalty spot just before the hour mark.
With The Three Lions on the brink of progression, however, disaster struck. Towering center-back Yerry Mina powered home a 93rd-minute equalizer to send the tie to extra time. And the additional 30-minute period couldn’t separate the two sides, taking the tie to a dreaded penalty shootout.
As we all know, when it comes to penalties, England are simply cursed. They have won just one of their seven shootouts in history, and that came at Euro 96. Indeed, they had never won a shootout at the World Cup, and many anticipated that they would be sent packing once again, especially when Jordan Henderson missed his nation’s third penalty.
But then, a miracle intervened. Firstly, Matias Uribe rattled the crossbar. Then, the usually ever-so-reliable Carlos Bacca saw his penalty halted by Pickford, which gave Eric Dier the opportunity to send England through. It was an opportunity he wouldn’t pass up, slotting past David Ospina and giving England their first-ever penalty shootout victory at the FIFA World Cup.