England's match against Turkey next Saturday is not the first time that the Thre
England's match against Turkey next Saturday is not the first time that the Three Lions' qualification for a major tournament has come down to one game. TheFA.com looks back at past crunch qualifiers...
Poland 0-0 England
1990 World Cup, Group 2 Qualifier
Stadion Slaski, Katowice
11 October 1989
Objective: We needed a draw to qualify for the 1990 World Cup in Italy
Sixteen years earlier, almost to the day, Poland had drawn at Wembley to dash Sir Alf Ramsey's hopes of taking England to the 1974 World Cup Finals in West Germany.
Peter Shilton, who had played in that fateful match, was England's hero as Bobby Robson's team finally got revenge in the Slaski Stadium.
The precious point from a second successive goalless draw saw England through to the Finals; Poland would not now qualify, even if they should win their two remaining games by huge margins.
So England's defence completed the six match gqualifying programme without conceeding a goal - the only other team in the world as watertight as that had been South Korea.
The Poles had no option but to pick an attacing team, given that two points were essential to their own World Cup aspirations, and they did show a noticeable improvement on their dismal Wembley display in June.
Shilton was kept on his toes as Poland threw everything forward in the first half. He dived to turn behind a deflected drive from Robert Warzycha, stretched upwards to push away a clever chip from Czachowski and was thankful to get in the way of a Dziekanowski effort after Robert Warzycha's perfect cross had allowed the Celtic striker a free header from close in.
The Poles swarmed forward in search of the all-important first goal, but their tendancy was to waste possession by shooting from too far out.
Poland's blistering pace could not be suistained indefinately and, when it began to sag, England were at last given a chance to put one or two attacking moves together.
But there was alarm in the England camp in the final minute as tarasiewicz tried his luck from thirty yards. The ball swerved, dipped and smacked against Shilton's crossbar before bouncing to safety.
England were in the World Cup, but only just.
Objective: Achieved. England qualified for Italia '90 and ended up reaching the semi-finals, where they lost on penalties to West Germany.
Teams
Poland: Bako, Czachowski, Kaczmarek, Wdowczyk, Warzycha R, Nawrocki, Tasasiewicz, Ziober, Kosecki, Dziekanowski, Warzycha K (Furtok)
England: Shilton, Stevens, Pearce, McMahon, Walker, Butcher, Robson, Rocastle, Beardsley, Lineker, Waddle
Referee: E Aladren
Attendance: 35,000