Blog

Both Englands
12 Feb 2003 · Upton Park · Australia 3–1 England. Socceroos shame both XIs. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
A set-back, not a disaster
12 Feb 1997 · Wembley · Italy 1–0 England. Zola unzips; Hoddle: set-back. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Spanish 1, onions 0
9 Sep 1992 · Santander · Spain 1–0 England. Fonseca; Sun: Spanish 1, Onions 0. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
World Cup wallies
3 Jun 1986 · Monterrey · Portugal 1–0 England. Carlos Manuel tap-in; Mirror: WALLIES. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Easy street
21 Sep 1983 · Wembley · Denmark 1–0 England. Simonsen's spot; Express: easy street. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Jungle tumble
14 Jun 2014 · Manaus · Italy 2–1 England. Balotelli header; Star: Jungle Tumble. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Iron curtains
17 Oct 2007 · Moscow · Russia 2–1 England. Pavlyuchenko twice; Sun: Iron Curtains. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Gutted
13 Jun 2004 · Lisbon · France 2–1 England. Zidane twice after 90; Sun: Gutted. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Floored after flying
12 Jun 2000 · Eindhoven · Portugal 3–2 England. Two-nil in 18; Telegraph: floored after flying. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Schoolboy stuff
22 Jun 1998 · Toulouse · Romania 2–1 England. Petrescu shatters; Hoddle: schoolboy stuff. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
A black day
29 Apr 1972 · Wembley · West Germany 3–1 England. Netzer, Müller; Express: OH, WHAT A BLACK DAY. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
What planet
10 Jun 1962 · Viña del Mar · Brazil 3–1 England. Garrincha masterclass; El Mercurio: what planet. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
We shouldn't even draw
7 Sep 2005 · Windsor Park · Northern Ireland 1–0 England. Healy strike; Independent: plumb new depths. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
A draw would have done
20 Jun 2000 · Charleroi · Romania 3–2 England. Neville foul, Ganea spot; Echo: all over now. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
On the road to oblivion
15 Jun 1988 · Düsseldorf · Netherlands 3–1 England. Van Basten hat-trick; Mail: road to oblivion. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Ta ta, turnip
13 Oct 1993 · Rotterdam · Netherlands 2–0 England. Koeman stays on, chips; Sun: Ta Ta Turnip. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Be proud
17 Nov 1999 · Wembley · Scotland 1–0 England (Eng 2–1 agg.). Hutchison header; Record: Be Proud. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Keep Luis quiet
19 Jun 2014 · São Paulo · Uruguay 2–1 England. Suárez scores two; Hodgson’s quiet dies. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
We are the lions
24 Jun 2012 · Kyiv · Italy 0–0 England, 4–2 pens. Pirlo’s chip; Tuttosport steals the nickname. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
French fried
10 Dec 2022 · Al Khor · France 2–1 England. Kane’s second spot into the stand; Star: French fried. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Norse manure
2 Jun 1993 · Oslo · Norway 2–0 England. Taylor’s secret shape collapses; Sun: Norse Manure; fans want him out. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
They came for a week
23 May 1954 · Budapest · Hungary 7–1 England. Came for a week; left with seven-one — still the heaviest. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
At least there's no more Sven
1 Jul 2006 · Gelsenkirchen · Portugal 0–0 England, 3–1 pens. Rooney red, Ronaldo wink, Ricardo’s three; no more Sven. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Reffing disgrace
24 Jun 2004 · Lisbon · Portugal 2–2 England, 6–5 pens. Star cried Reffing Disgrace; Ricardo’s bare hands finished the year. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
For you, Fritz
26 Jun 1996 · Wembley · Germany 1–1 England, 6–5 pens. Mirror’s Achtung Surrender dies on Southgate’s sixth kick. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
We will win
14 Jul 2024 · Berlin · Spain 2–1 England. Sun said we will win; Oyarzabal at eighty-six; hymn returned. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Goulashed
14 Jun 2022 · Wolverhampton · Hungary 4–0 England. Reset sold; worst home defeat in ninety-four years; GOULASHED. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Rubbish
12 Jun 1988 · Stuttgart · Ireland 1–0 England. A child of eight’s outstanding chance; Houghton; Mirror: RUBBISH. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
The world upside down
25 Nov 1953 · Wembley · Hungary 6–3 England. Match of the Century; Wright to the wrong fire; world upside down. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
A cross that drifted
21 Jun 2002 · Shizuoka · Brazil 2–1 England. Ronaldinho’s float over Seaman; golden generation home in tears. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Finally foiled
4 Jul 1990 · Turin · West Germany 1–1 England, 4–3 pens. Gazza’s tears, first shoot-out, foiled. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
It's coming to Rome
11 Jul 2021 · Wembley · Italy 1–1 England, 3–2 pens. Mail said bring it home; Bonucci said Rome. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Football's not coming home
11 Jul 2018 · Moscow · Croatia 2–1 England aet. Semi gods on Sunday; Zagreb filed the only accurate line. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Even the Scots had tears
14 Jun 1970 · León · West Germany 3–2 England aet. Two-nil lead, stand-in keeper, Müller. Even the Scots had tears. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
One stupid boy
30 Jun 1998 · Saint-Étienne · Argentina 2–2 England, 4–3 pens. Payback sold; the Mirror ate the boy. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Don’t mention the score
27 Jun 2010 · Bloemfontein · Germany 4–1 England. Capello said history doesn’t count. Müller made the morning tell you not to mention it. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Yanks 2, Planks 0
9 Jun 1993 · Foxboro · USA 2–0 England. People expected them to beat America. Dooley and Lalas scored; the Sun called them planks. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Swedes 2, Turnips 1
17 Jun 1992 · Råsunda · Sweden 2–1 England. Sit back, said Taylor. Lineker walked off one short of the record; the Sun found a turnip. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Auld Enemy: a short history
Scotland–England football rivalry primer — Auld Enemy nights you already know, scores we can verify. By Hamish McTavish Read more...
The night they took the crossbar
4 Jun 1977 · Wembley · Scotland 2–1 England. They took the turf and the crossbar home. Motson had to talk about a goal that would not stand. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Wembley Wizards, 1928
31 Mar 1928 · Wembley · Scotland 5–1 England. The original Wembley Wizards — Jackson, James, Morton. By Hamish McTavish Read more...
Put the kettle on, mother
17 Oct 1973 · Wembley · England 1–1 Poland. Clough called him a clown in gloves. Put the kettle on, mother — the goals never came. By Hamish McTavish. Read more...
Why the Hand of God tee exists
22 Jun 1986 · Azteca · Argentina 2–1. Why our £26 Hand of God street tee exists — story first, no official marks. By Hamish McTavish Read more...
Jim Baxter and the ball at Wembley
15 Apr 1967 · Wembley · Scotland 3–2. Jim Baxter’s keepie-uppie night against the world champions. By Hamish McTavish Read more...
What Anyone But England means
ABE means Anyone But England — football banter, not a treatise. What the phrase is (and isn't) on abutengland.com. By Hamish McTavish Read more...
Pick it out, Landreau
Pick it out, Landreau
12 September 2007, Parc des Princes, Paris. France 0–1 Scotland. Nineteen years on and Scotland’s national team account is still wishing James McFadden a happy day for it, which is... Read more...
The wally with the brolly
21 November 2007, Wembley. Croatia 3–2 England. By Hamish McTavish You already know the score. What you might not have is the Wednesday itself — new Wembley in the rain, a November night that only needed a point, and a manager who packed for the weather instead of the match. The ones who went down filled the new ground and waited for the arithmetic to behave. The ones at home had the other screen on as well, Russia against Andorra, because that was the rest of the sum. You do... Read more...
Just a number
Just a number
27 June 2016, Nice. Iceland 2–1 England. By Hamish McTavish You already know the score. What you might not have is the Monday itself — last sixteen on the Riviera,... Read more...
A little with the hand, a little with the rest of him
A little with the hand, a little with the rest of him
22 June 1986, Azteca. Argentina 2–1 England. By Hamish McTavish You already know the two goals. What you might not have is the week they spent deciding the problem was... Read more...
A typing error, apparently
A typing error, apparently
29 June 1950, Belo Horizonte. USA 1–0 England. By Hamish McTavish You already know the score. What you might not have is the morning they wrote before it. England at... Read more...