Euro 96 Revisited – England Frustrated by Resilient Swiss
ITV has delighted millions of football-starved fans across the country by broadcasting every single game from the 1996 European Championships.
I aim to watch as many of the games (and all of the England matches) as possible and I will write a report on these matches.
It all kicked off this evening with hosts England playing Switzerland in the opening game of Group A and I have put my match report below:
Despite leading for over half of the match, England couldn’t quite get over the finishing line as they drew 1-1 with Switzerland in the opening match of the 1996 European Championships.
The England side had a lot to prove after the debacle that was the tour of the Far East a few weeks ago. One man in particular, Paul Gascoigne, needed to put in a strong performance to prove his doubters wrong.
He didn’t disappoint and put in a solid display from midfield. He even got a cheer from the Wembley crowd after 36 minute, with a rabona-style flick to set Steve McManaman free on the left wing. More of that later!
Alan Shearer was another man who had to show the nation what he was made of. A lot had been made of the fact that he hadn’t scored in over a year and a half. His five goals for England in 23 appearances was also of great concern for a lot of the fans and press.
Both teams were limited to shots from distance in the opening 20 minutes before Alan Shearer opened the scoring for the hosts after 23 minutes.
Paul Ince slid a delicate through-ball to the Blackburn Rovers front man who beat the Swiss offside-trap to rifle a powerful shot off the inside of the near post and in to the back of the net.
The sense of relief around the famous old stadium was all-too-apparent. It was Shearer’s first England goal in twelve matches and his celebration was much more passionate and emotional than ever.
Shearer could (and perhaps, should) have doubled England’s lead after 36 minutes. The above-mentioned flick from Paul Gascoigne set Steve McManaman free on the left wing and the Liverpool winger whipped in an inviting cross. Shearer got above the Swiss defence and got his head to the ball. His header went a couple of yards wide of the near post, sowing the first seeds of doubt into the minds of the England fans in the 76,000 crowd.
Switzerland’s tricky striker Kubilay Turkilmaz rattled the England crossbar five minutes before the interval. Stuart Pearce was sold a dummy wide on the right wing and a low cross fizzed across David Seaman’s goalmouth. The Grasshopper’s Zurich striker somehow managed to miss when it was much easier to score. It was a huge let-off for England.
Seconds before half-time, Teddy Sheringham managed to ghost in at the back post to win a free header. Sadly for the England fans, he headed straight at Marco Pascolo in the Swiss goal. It was a gilt-edged chance that any international footballer should be finding the back of the net from.
England carried on the second half in the same way as they played out the first, keeping possession of the ball and frustrating the Swiss.
Both sides were reduced to pot-shots from distance over the course of the game and Alan Shearer had two chances from the edge of the Swiss box before the hour mark. Neither troubled Pascolo and you couldn’t help but feel that England were on borrowed time.
Terry Venables brought off Teddy Sheringham and the excellent Steve McManaman, replacing them with Nick Barmby and Steve Stone. Hopefully this was just to try and freshen things up and just resting the two because McManaman was instrumental when he was on the pitch.
He ran tirelessly down England’s left wing and provided countlesss dangerous balls into the box. His pace really troubled the Swiss defence, and in particular their right back who had a torrid time chasing after the Liverpudlian. He will be a thorn in the side of the Scots next weekend and Dutch in ten days’ time.
As with many England displays down the years, the team seemed to want to make things difficult for themselves.
Switzerland’s Vogel fired narrowly wide from outside the box on one of the only times David Seaman was forced to dive for the ball. Within a minute, Switzerland had found an equaliser.
Stuart Pearce jumped to block the ball just inside the England box and raised his arms. The ball hit one of them and the Spanish referee pointed straight to the spot without hesitation.
Kubilay Turkilmaz stepped up and sent David Seaman the wrong way, slotting his penalty low and to the right, just inside the post.
The Swiss could have even won the game in the 90th minute, but for some excellent goalkeeping from David Seaman.
The Arsenal goalkeeper showed great alertness to get down to push away an effort from Grassi at his near post. It showed great mental strength from the England number one to be switched on until the very end of the game and anticipate such chances.
A defeat would have been catastrophic for England’s qualification chances. The draw makes the game against the Scotland next Saturday all the more crucial. A win against the Auld Enemy is vital. Anything less and England’s tournament could be over before it has even started…
About Author
