England's Dutch past

All the first eight matches between the two countries were friendlies and though England managed one big win - an 8-2 success at Leeds Road in 1946 - the results between the two sides even in that early era were generally close.

England's first defeat to the Dutch came in 1977 at Wembley when a Johan Cruyff-inspired side, by then coached by Ernst Happel, outplayed the home side to register a famous 2-0 victory - coincidentally on 9th February.

Marco van Basten, now the coach of the Oranje, was England's tormentor as Holland beat England 3-1 in the group stage of Euro '88. Two years later the first World Cup meeting between the two sides saw them play out a rather stale 0-0 draw in Cagliari.

The notorious 0-2 defeat in Rotterdam in 1993 in effect saw England's hopes of qualifying for the 1994 World Cup vanquished but the Three Lions got their own back three years later when Terry Venables' side 'out-Dutched' the Dutch, winning in style at Wembley during Euro '96.

The most recent match was the 1-1 draw in an Amsterdam friendly in February 2002. The last meeting in England was Holland’s 2-0 win in a friendly at White Hart Lane in August 2001.

England v Holland: The Story So Far

1935: Holland 0 England 1 in Amsterdam

Portsmouth outside-right Fred Worrall scored in the first minute in the Olympic Stadium and it was enough to win the match. Worrall, 23, was making his debut.

1946: England 8 Holland 2 at Huddersfield

England outplayed Holland on a rain-soaked pitch. Tommy Lawton scored four goals and skipper George Hardwick even missed a penalty. It was 6-1 at half time.

1964: Holland 1 England 1 in Amsterdam

The standard of football was poor on a windy December night. Jimmy Greaves scored a late equaliser in a match to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Dutch FA.

1969: Holland 0 England 1 in Amsterdam

Another poor game, played on Guy Fawkes Night. Emlyn Hughes made his debut (the first player to be capped in three decades) and Colin Bell scored near the end.

1970: England 0 Holland 0 at Wembley

A 75,000 crowd showed their frustration with an experimental England side by breaking into a slow handclap. But the artistic Dutch had shown a lot of skill.

1977: England 0 Holland 2 at Wembley

Hailed as the best performance by a visiting team to Wembley since the Hungarians in ’53. Inspired by Cruyff, the Dutch gave England a football lesson. Jan Peters scored both goals.

1982: England 2 Holland 0 at Wembley

Tony Woodcock and Paul Mariner netted second-half goals as England beat one of the world’s top teams in a friendly three weeks before the World Cup in Spain.

1988: England 2 Holland 2 at Wembley

Gullit starred in this friendly three months before the teams were due to meet in Euro 88. Tony Adams scored for both sides and Gary Lineker notched his 24th goal in 24 internationals.

1988: England 1 Holland 3 in Dusseldorf

Peter Shilton won his 100th cap as England’s European Championship hopes were dashed after just two matches. Robson scored bravely but a lethal van Basten grabbed a hat-trick.

1990: England 0 Holland 0 in Cagliari

With a little luck England might have achieved a famous victory over the European champions in this World Cup Finals match. Stuart Pearce’s free-kick flew into the net - but it was indirect!

1993: England 2 Holland 2 at Wembley

This was a vital World Cup qualifier for both sides, with neither daring to lose. John Barnes and David Platt made it  2-0 but Bergkamp’s lob and van Vossen’s 86th-minute penalty denied England maximum points.

1993: Holland 2 England 0 in Rotterdam

A controversial incident on 60 minutes virtually decided the outcome. Koeman’s "professional foul" on Platt only earned him a yellow card and a minute later the Dutchman netted with a classic free-kick.

1996: England 4 Holland 1 at Wembley

England trounced the Dutch with a display of passion and power that left home fans feeling high on victory. Early in the second half England had a dream-like 11 minutes in which they scored three times.

2001: England 0 Holland 2 at Tottenham

Two Dutch goals in the eight minutes before half-time - a spectacular 35-yarder from van Bommel and an opportunist strike from van Nistelrooy - won this friendly at White Hart Lane.

2002: Holland 1 England 1 in Amsterdam

Darius Vassell scored on his senior debut to earn England a draw after an adventurous performance in the Arena. The Aston Villa’s spectacular close-range volley on 61 minutes equalised Patrick Kluivert’s first-half effort.

England's record against Holland

Total: Played 15, Won 5, Drawn 6, Lost 4, For 23, Against 18
Home: Played 8, Won 3, Drawn 3, Lost 2
Away: Played 7, Won 2, Drawn 3, Lost 2