“It’s getting better and better and better!”
– Martin Tyler
England have a nasty habit of making us all believe they have a real chance of succeeding at international tournaments.
Whether it is a thumping victory in the friendly match before we go to the said tournament or an extensive march through the qualifiers, it does not take much for us to start dreaming.
Euro 96 was very different.
Teddy Sheringham celebrates hanging out with the Netherlands / Getty Images / Getty Images
As a host country, there would be no qualifying procession and the FA apparently does not dare to put the three lions against decent opposition in a friendly match with the risk of blowing up the feel good factor that the home tournament had brought with it.
After years of misery after Euro 92’s heinous display, and failure to even qualify for the 1994 World Cup, 96 Euro would represent a fresh start – it did not quite work out.
Terry Venable’s side started with a tough draw against Switzerland and while a 2-0 victory over Scotland helped boost the spirit of a nation, adversity dominated after Paul Gascoigne’s celebration “dental chair” back and front.
The Three Lions entered their final group game against the Netherlands aware that defeat would spell the end of both their hopes and the hopes of a nation.
The conflict was seen as England’s rigid, pragmatic, uninspiring 4-4-2 against the fluid, exciting, sometimes fascinating 4-3-3 in the Netherlands – again it did not really go to plan.
Paul Gascoigne and team in England criticized for their dental chair celebration / Stu Forster / Getty Images
Venable’s side was completely unplayable the fabulous night at Wembley, took the game to the Dutch and left Bergkamp, Seedorf and co. almost dizzy from the whirlwind of emotions that have struck them from both the home crowd and the England players.
Despite Alan Shearer’s third goal in three games opening the scoring, there was tension in the air at the national stadium at half time. Guus Hiddink’s side had barely managed to gain a foothold in the match during the first half and there was almost an acceptance among England fans that the second period could not go as smoothly as the first.
They were right in a way – it went 100 times better.
England flew out of the traps once again and three goals in five minutes in the second half sent the Wembley crowd into ecstasy, with Shearer doubling his account for the afternoon and Teddy Sheringham matching his partner in offense with a fantastic stay.
It was all smiles for the England team / Clive Mason / Getty Images
This was not a normal Dutch side, the three lions had swept aside with perfect ease, this was a side strewn with world-class players – a large proportion of them had only a few weeks in advance entered a penalty shootout to be crowned European champions at the club level with Ajax.
England were hardly a team of no jumpers, but the sight of individuals from Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough and Aston Villa blowing away one of the most feared sides of international football was enough to bring a tear to the eyes of any Englishman.
Hiddink’s men hit back with a late consolation goal when Bergkamp managed to leave Tony Adams’ back pocket for the first time in 78 minutes, before producing a sublime skill to give Patrick Kluivert the opportunity to play home.
For the first time that night, you could actually hear yourself thinking when England fans finally stopped shouting their side to victory for a brief second, even though the break lasted a little over 30 seconds.
Nothing would dampen their mood. On paper, it may have been “only three points” but in reality the win represented so much more than that.
There was nothing to hold England back against the Dutch / Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
The feeling of Gascoigne, the clinical ending of Shearer and Sheringham, the wing wizard of Steve McManaman and the sublime defense of Adams – England’s show had everything the presence would have expected to see in the evening, the difference was that they had expected to see the above attacking brilliance from the Dutch.
This was not a win – it was a letter of intent. Six years after their last decent show at a major tournament, England fans finally had a team they could be proud to follow again.
And that is what makes England’s 4-1 demolition of the Netherlands the greatest Three Lions achievement of all time.
