History of the England Senior Team
FA Historian David Barber looks back at England's greatest World Cup moments.
England didn't play in the first three World Cups (1930, 1934 and 1938) because in those years we weren't members of FIFA, the organising body for the tournament. We became a Member Association again after the war and took part in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil.
After four tournaments in which England twice reached the quarter-final stage, hopes were high that we could go all the way when we hosted the finals in 1966.
England manager Alf Ramsey was convinced that we would. Here are brief reports on some of England's greatest matches in the World Cup Finals, a "Top Ten" that starts in that special year of 1966:-
England 2 Portugal 1, 1966 World Cup, Semi-Final
In contrast to the previous match against Argentina, England's semi-final tie with Portugal was a model of good football and sportsmanship. We deserved our victory but Portugal gave us the hardest tussle of the tournament.
Only a brilliant save by Banks in the closing seconds prevented the game going into extra-time. Pereira, racing from his goal, reached Wilson's long through-ball before Hunt but could only push the ball to Bobby Charlton who promptly put in the net for a first-half lead.
The great Eusebio, mainspring of the Portuguese attack, was closely marked throughout by Stiles and England looked to have made the game safe ten minutes from time when Hurst pulled the ball back for Charlton to hammer home. Eusebio scored with a penalty but we held on to secure our place in the final.
England 4 West Germany 2 (aet), 1966 World Cup Final, Final
On a sunshine-and-showers afternoon the Germans were dangerous in the opening minutes and went ahead when Haller took advantage of Wilson's misdirected header to shoot past Banks into the far corner.
For the first time in the tournament we were behind. But Hurst equalised six minutes later, neatly positioning himself to head home Moore's astute free-kick. Despite lots of England pressure in the second half, the German defence gave little away until the 78th minute.
Then Hurst's ball into the box looped into the air off a German's boot and landed at Peters' feet. From four yards he could hardly miss. As England anticipated the final whistle Weber scrambled in an equaliser to take the match into extra-time.
Hurst scored twice, the first hotly disputed by the Germans, and it was Bobby Moore who went up to accept the Jules Rimet trophy from HM The Queen.
Brazil 1 England 1, 1970 World Cup, Group Stage
England received a set-back in the searing midday heat of Guadalajara, losing to arch-rivals Brazil in a classic second match in Group 3. With Pele and Tostao effectively marked by Mullery and Labone, Brazil's main threat came from the rapier-like wing thrusts of Jairzinho.
A constant thorn in England's side, he not only scored the winning goal on the hour but also set up the chance after eleven minutes from which Pele went amazingly close with a powerful header. Banks' save, which seemed to defy the laws of physics, was one of the World Cup's greatest.
Jairzinho's goal delighted a pro-Brazil crowd and gave his team the fillip they needed to withstand the English onslaught that followed. With the Brazilian penalty-area a mass of confusion, Astle shot wide with only Felix to beat and Ball drove against the top of the crossbar.
West Germany 3 England 2, 1970 World Cup, Quarter-Final
England were eliminated from the World Cup in a quarter-final that produced an incredible turn-around. We were in complete control for 70 minutes in Leon and, with goals by Mullery and Peters after 31 and 49 minutes, seemed well on the way to a place in the semis.
Then Beckenbauer's shot from outside the box deceived Bonetti, a late replacement for the unwell Banks, and Seeler equalised with a bizarre back-header from near the byeline. The punishing extra half-hour made it almost a replica of 1966 but this time it was the Germans who proved victorious.
Lohr headed Grabowski's far-post cross back into the goalmouth and Muller gave Bonetti no chance with a close-range volley. The holders were out and it was to be twelve years before we qualified for another tournament.
England 3 Poland 0, 1986 World Cup, Group Stage
The traumas that England had endured over the previous eight days - an opening day defeat against Portugal and a goalless draw with Morocco during which Robson had dislocated his shoulder and Wilkins had been sent off - were largely forgotten as Gary Lineker claimed a hat-trick in a confidence-boosting 3-0 win in Monterrey's University Stadium.
It was enough to clinch runners-up spot in Group F and a second round pairing with unfancied Paraguay. Lineker converted Stevens' near-post cross for an early lead and on 14 minutes he was at it again, lashing the ball high into the net after Hodge had curved it invitingly into the box from the left.
It became 3-0 before the break as Mlynarczyk made a hash of trying to catch Steven's swirling corner-kick and a lurking Lineker bundled the ball in.
Argentina 2 England 1, 1986 World Cup, Quarter-Final
England's quest for the World Cup came to a controversial end in the heat and humidity of Mexico City as Diego Maradona, then arguably the world's greatest footballer, scored twice in five decisive minutes in the second half.
Television play-backs seemed to prove that Maradona had used a hand to beat Shilton to a high ball freakishly knocked back into the goalmouth by Hodge. There were no arguments about his second goal. He picked the ball up in his own half and set off on a powerful run.
After dodging challenges from Steven, Butcher and Fenwick, he drilled the ball past Shilton for a spectacular goal. In a desperate gamble Waddle and Barnes were brought on and the latter's enterprising wing-play set up two scoring chances for Lineker's head. One went in, one didn't.
Cameroon 2 England 3, 1990 World Cup, Quarter-Final
England won through to their first World Cup semi-final since 1966, and the first ever on foreign soil, after a night of high drama in Naples. At one point Cameroon, the African surprise packet of Italia 90, were leading 2-1.
But a goal from Platt and a brace of penalties from Lineker (83 and 105 minutes) qualified us for a Turin meeting with our great World Cup adversaries, West Germany.
When Platt opened the scoring with a downward header from Pearce's cross, it seemed that we only needed to produce more of the same to earn a comfortable victory. But England were unsettled by the arrival of 38-year-old Milla, the World Cup "supersub".
Kunde's penalty just eluded Shilton's dive on the hour and Ekeke broke through to put Cameroon in front four minutes later.
West Germany 1 England 1 (aet, 1-1 90 mins. 4-3 pens), 1990 World Cup, Semi-Final
After holding the World Cup favourites West Germany to a draw after two hours of absorbing football in Turin, England finally lost the semi-final on penalty-kicks.
Pearce and Waddle were the unfortunate players to miss. The English defence, with Butcher sweeper this time, operated so well as a unit that the potentially lethal striking partnership of Voller and Klinsmann was rendered ineffective.
The former went off after a clash with Walker and the latter hardly got a kick in normal time. The Germans went ahead on 59 minutes as Brehme's free-kick deflected off Parker's boot and beat the back-pedalling Shilton.
England left it late to equalise, as they had done against Cameroon, with Lineker rifling home a left-footer with ten minutes to go after some slack German defending.
Colombia 0 England 2, 1998 World Cup, Group Stage
England needed a point from their last Group G fixture to make it into the second round. 24 million television viewers at home and several thousand England fans in Lens were on the edge of their seats.
After two exciting substitute appearances, Owen started this time and certainly didn't let his coach or his country down.
Colombia's Bermudez could only direct his headed clearance from Owen's cross into Anderton's path and the Tottenham winger struck a rising shot past the keeper's left hand.
Nine minutes later Preciado's foul on Ince presented Beckham with a mouth-watering free-kick some 25 yards out.
The ball was in the net before Mondragon could scamper across and for several minutes there was joy unconfined as fans danced the conga along the front of the stand.
Argentina 2 England 2, 1998 World Cup, Second Round
History repeated itself as for the third time in the 1990s England went out of a major tournament in a heartbreaking shoot-out. The match had started badly for us, with Batistuta blasting in a spot-kick after minimal contact by Seaman on Simeone. Owen then won the penalty that allowed Shearer to equalise six minutes later.
The excitement continued as the Liverpool youngster scored the goal of the tournament to put England in front. He set off on a determined run that took him swiftly round Chamot and Ayala before a rifled shot left Roa clutching at thin air.
Two incidents either side of the break knocked us out of our stride - Zanetti peeled off England's free-kick "wall" to shoot past Seaman and Beckham received a red card. That left our ten men needing to produce a defensive display of heroic proportions to keep the Argentinians out.
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