Euro 2024: England v Spain – Five of the most important clashes in history

3 months ago

On Sunday nighttime England and Spain will face-off successful Berlin’s Olympiastadion pinch nan Euro 2024 title connected nan line.

The 2 nations person locked horns connected 27 occasions complete nan past 95 years, but only six of those person travel successful awesome competitions and only 3 of them person ended successful draws.

England person tally retired winners connected 10 occasions pinch Spain winning 14, including 5 of nan 8 matches played crossed nan past 20 years.

Let’s return a travel down representation lane pinch nan Three Lions and La Roja to uncover their 5 astir important meetings, shall we?

Spain 🆚 England

Berlin. Sunday.#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/f1NqmQfOpO

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 10, 2024

Spain 1-0 England – 1950 World Cup

The first competitory gathering of nan 2 nations came successful Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana stadium astatine nan 1950 World Cup.

England had already suffered a humiliating 1-0 conclusion to nan USA successful Pool Two and needed to hit Spain to advancement to nan knockout rounds.

Jackie Milburn saw an early header ruled retired for offside and Tom Finney deed nan crossbar aft nan break, but nan only extremity arrived connected 48 minutes erstwhile Telmo Zarra hit keeper Bert Williams to nan shot to occurrence home.

England’s squad besides featured Billy Wright, Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortensen but had to travel location successful ignominy.

Spain 1-2 England – Euro 68 quarter-final 2nd leg

I know, you astir apt don’t retrieve this either…

The World Cup winners, England of course, were seeking to suffice for 1 of conscionable 4 spots successful nan finals of Euro 68. Yep, nan last-eight was a qualifier.

Bobby Charlton scored nan only extremity successful nan first limb astatine Wembley to springiness Alf Ramsay’s broadside a slender lead to return to nan Santiago Bernabeu successful Madrid for nan 2nd leg.

That advantage was wiped retired by Amancio’s early goal, only for Martin Peters to caput England level connected nan nighttime and up successful nan tie.

Norman ‘bite yer legs’ Hunter fired nan victor pinch nan assistance of a deflection 8 minutes from clip to guarantee England reached their first European Championships proper.

Paul Mariner ( England)
World Cup ESPAÑA82, Spain vs England0-0
at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
in Madrid, Spain connected 5 July 1982
Photo by Masahide tomikoshi / TOMIKOSHI PHOTOGRAPHY pic.twitter.com/cGauszbkrd

— tphoto (@tphoto2005) July 11, 2024

Spain 0-0 England – 1982 World Cup

England’s adjacent sojourn to nan Bernabeu 14 years later did not extremity astir truthful well.

Ron Greenwood’s broadside needed to triumph by 2 goals to advancement to nan semi-finals against nan big nation, who had mislaid 1-0 against Northern Ireland successful nan first of 2 group phases and were already retired of contention for nan past four.

They were 2nd champion for astir of nan crippled and were missing nan wizardry of Glenn Hoddle, whom Greenwood did not select, while Kevin Keegan and Trevor Brooking were blighted by wounded and only came disconnected nan chair for nan closing stages successful their first action of nan tournament.

The stalemate ensured Germany went done arsenic group winners while England limped location and Greenwood mislaid his job.

A memorable shootout triumph for nan #ThreeLions complete Spain astatine @wembleystadium during EURO 96 👏#OnThisDay 26 years ago…pic.twitter.com/oUzvtF3oxX

— England (@England) June 22, 2022

England 0-0 Spain (England triumph 4-2 connected pens) – Euro 96 quarter-final

England’s demolition of nan Dutch a fewer days earlier ensured they topped their group pinch 7 points, having already drawn pinch Switzerland and beaten Scotland.

Straight into nan last-eight successful those days, earlier nan description to 24 teams successful 2016 and Terry Venables’ broadside were pitted against Javier Clemente’s Spain.

La Roja learned nan lessons from nan Dutch crippled and kept it tight, fashioning a mates of chances themselves only to spot goals from Kiko and Julio Salinas disallowed for offside – nan 2nd incorrectly.

Alan Shearer missed nan target from adjacent scope aft a Paul Gascoigne transverse successful nan last 20 minutes and past neither broadside were capable to find nan aureate extremity – introduced for nan first clip – to triumph nan necktie and debar penalties.

Fernando Hierro deed nan barroom from Spain’s first attempt, Stuart Pearce exorcised nan demons of 1990 and David Seaman sent England done arsenic he parried distant nan decisive punishment from defender Miguel Angel Nadal – whose nephew Rafa went connected to beryllium beautiful bully astatine tennis.

📆 OTD | 2 years agone coming England recorded their first triumph successful Spain for 31 years.

🇪🇸 Spain 2-3 England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

⚽️ Sterling (16’, 38’)
⚽️ Rashford (29’) pic.twitter.com/9S20QYgJFk

— England Football Fans (@EnglidsAway) October 15, 2020

Spain 2-3 England – Nations League – October 2018

This was nan astir caller brushwood betwixt nan 2 Euro 2024 finalists and saw Gareth Southgate’s men registry an eye-catching triumph successful Seville to inflict a first competitory location conclusion connected La Roja successful 15 years and go nan first broadside ever to people 3 goals against them connected location soil.

The youngest England broadside successful 2 decades produced an incisive show of counter-attacking shot and went up connected 16 minutes erstwhile Marcus Rashford freed Raheem Sterling to lash location nan opener.

Just earlier nan half-hour Harry Kane held disconnected 2 defenders and threaded Rashford done to double nan lead and it was 3-0 aft conscionable 38 minutes erstwhile Kane squared to Sterling (arguably 3 months excessively late) to person from adjacent range.

The hosts did amended aft nan break and Paco Alcacer pulled 1 backmost seconds aft coming disconnected nan chair and Rodrigo mightiness person had a punishment aft dispossessing Jordan Pickford.

Ramos headed location heavy into stoppage-time but location was nary clip near for his broadside to equine a comeback.

The crippled is besides remembered for Eric Dier’s wholly unnecessary yet thunderous situation connected section leader Sergio Ramos which earned him a yellowish paper contempt being wholly clean.

Who will travel retired connected apical successful nan latest instalment of nan rivalry and which players will constitute their names into folklore? Not agelong to hold now.