We are headed into the international break with World Cup qualifiers and I wanted to look at games for England over the years.
With a window of games England should win there have also been many that have possibly surprised and with changes of management a level of either expectancy or possible doubt. Here I take a look at the top 3 that stood out for me and I'm sure there will be many more that stood out for others.
I hope you enjoy a look back through the archives.
3 – England 5 def Croatia 1, 2009
With Fabio Capello in charge of England during the 2010 WC qualifying campaign it started with a very big call although it was a friendly.
He left out David Beckham (pictured at top).
England went through the campaign winning 8 of their matches and qualifying with 2 games still to play.
Impressive wins home and away over Croatia who I also met in the 2006 World Cup had England as the favourites leading into the 2010 Cup.
The game at Wembley in front of 87,000 was ultra-impressive though when England led at 2-0 at half-time with goals from Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.
Second half was even better in this very one-sided game that saw Lampard and Gerrard score again and Wayne Rooney close out a 5-1 drubbing and even raising a smile from the technical area from Capello.
CLICK HERE: England v Albania Markets
2 – England 2 drew with Greece 2, 2001
With Sven-Goran Eriksson in charge and the first foreign appointment it’s fair to say there was some doubt but immediately he was able to turn the campaign around for England.
In a game that England needed to find a goal and with a nation biting their nails late in the match, up steps David Beckham for a free kick.
The pressure and the composure while the country sat hoping, waiting for the dream finish.
Like he had done so many times David Beckham found the top corner and had the fans going absolutely crazy with his stunning late effort to secure top spot and a place at the 2002 World Cup.
The game finished 2-2 and Beckham was absolutely brilliant.
CLICK HERE: Top 3 England v Belgium Goals
1 – England 5 def Germany 1, 2001
This one goes down as my best memory of watching England really turn the screw on top opposition.
Sven’s campaign that gave England hope to qualify came with a freak result that had me thinking ‘did that really just happen’?
A 5-1 thumping of Germany after going a goal down with goals from Emile Heskey, Steven Gerrard and a Michael Owen (in below tweet) hat-trick was a match many will never ever forget.
It was a game that many years later was shown again on free to air in the UK with incredible viewing numbers such was the joy of this result.
It also sparked a massive rebuild for Germany who were left reeling after this match.
It goes down as my number 1 for an England team going through the World Cup Qualifiers with Gerrard’s goal pick of the bunch.
On this day in 2001, Michael Owen scored a hat-trick as England beat Germany 5-1 in Munich. What a night #England #ThreeLions #LFC #LiverpoolFC pic.twitter.com/tiMJeJw7lX
— Last Word On Football (@LastWordFC) September 1, 2020
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