Argentina

2-2

England

Batistuta

 

Shearer

Zanetti

 

Owen


Argentina win 4-3 on penalties

World Cup Finals
Second Round
30 June 1998
Geoffroy-Guichard, St Etienne

History repeated itself in St.Etienne as for the third time in the 1990s, England went out of a major tournament after losing a heartbreaking penalty shootout.

England had a terrible start to the match, Argentinian captain Diego Simeone falling to the ground as he and the onrushing David Seaman went for the ball.

Gabriel Batistuta blasted in the spot-kick and England were behind within four minutes of the start.

Michael Owen then won the penalty which allowed Alan Shearer to shoot high into the net for an equaliser six minutes later and the excitement continued as Owen produced a moment of magic and the best goal of the tournament.

The incredibly talented 18-year-old received the ball from David Beckham's delicate chip and set off on a determined run that took him swiftly around Chamot and Ayala before a rifled shot left Roa clutching at thin air.

Argentina were on the back foot as England poured forward. Another blistering run from Owen was halted illegally by Chamot, an Ince volley missed the goal by a foot or so and Scholes was even closer as he burst into the box to get on the end of Shearer's downward header.

Then a rampant England team was knocked out of its stride by two unfortunate incidents either side of the break.

With the first half in injury time Tony Adams and Sol Campbell combined to force the the ball from under Lopez a yard outside the penalty area and Argentina's cleverly-worked free-kick had Javier Zanetti peeling off the defensive wall and slapping a rising left-footer beyond Seaman.

But there was worse to come as Beckham was sent off, after which the course of the match was changed and England played the rest of contest with their backs to the wall.

However England's ten men produced a defensive display of heroic proportions as against one of the favourites for the World Cup, Glenn Hoddle's side kept Argentina at bay for almost 75 minutes.

Hopes were high as the shoot-out commenced, with England believing they had the better goalkeeper in Seaman.

The Arsenal man did manage to block Argentina's second kick from Crespo but misses by Ince and Batty ended England's chances of avenging their 1986 quarter-final defeat.

England: David Seaman, Gary Neville, Graeme Le Saux (Gareth Southgate), Paul Ince, Tony Adams, Sol Campbell, David Beckham, Darren Anderton (David Batty), Alan Shearer, Michael Owen, Paul Scholes (Paul Merson).