Ten defining games from Gareth Southgate’s reign with England | OneFootball

It’s been eight years since Gareth Southgate took charge of a dismally failing England national team.

Having not won a knockout tie in ten years, and failing to surpass the quarter-finals in two decades, expectations were at their absolute lowest with the Three Lions.

Handing control to a man whose only managerial experience was relegation with Middlesbrough did little to lighten the mood.

However, the Southgate era has proven to be, on paper, one of the brightest times in England’s history. In his first attempt, he took his side to their first semi-final in 22 years.

Next up was a final appearance for only the second time ever, losing on penalties to Italy.

Despite this, opinion remained divided on the former Crystal Palace defender. While the results were improved, many people felt that the team was still not fulfilling its maximum potential.

Eight years on and four tournaments later, it is likely that he has managed his last game, following another final defeat. The FA are reportedly eager to retain the 53-year-old, but his future remains unclear.

Here are the ten most memorable games from Southgate’s time in charge with England.

Tunisia 1-2 England

Two years on from their disastrous 2016 European Championship campaign, England were back for another major tournament.

At this point, you’d do well to find a single person in the world who was genuinely optimistic about the Three Lions’ chances in Russia.

But a positive opening game against Tunisia helped to lift spirits. Southgate’s side took the lead after 11 minutes when Harry Kane finished on the rebound from John Stones’ header.

And frankly, they should have been out of sight after 30 minutes, with Jesse Lingard especially guilty of squandering numerous opportunities.

A careless foul by Kyle Walker allowed the African nation to equalise, with Ferjani Sassi converting from the spot. And after this, England found things a bit more difficult, struggling to create many openings.

Tunisia held out until injury time when they were undone from a set piece. Kieran Trippier’s corner was flicked on at the front post by Harry Maguire, and Kane was there unmarked to nod home for the winner.

A narrow win over Tunisia wasn’t much to shout about. But it was the first time that England had won their opener since 2006 and an encouraging way to begin the tournament.

Croatia 2-1 England (AET)

England continued to progress through the tournament, defeating Panama, Colombia and Sweden. In their first semi-final since 1996, they faced a strong Croatian side.

And things could hardly have started any better. After just five minutes, Trippier found the top corner from a free kick, following Luka Modric’s foul on Dele Alli.

The one-time world champions had several opportunities to double their advantage before half-time but were unable to bag a crucial second.

Kane had a brilliant chance but had his effort saved, while Lingard and Maguire missed the target when well placed.

This proved costly, as Croatia began to take control in the second half. Modric started to have more of an influence, and Southgate appeared to have no answer.

This allowed the opposition to dominate the game, putting the England backline under relentless pressure.

The pressure eventually told in the 68th minute. Ivan Perisic beat Walker to Sime Vrsaljko’s cross and diverted the ball past Jordan Pickford to level the scores.

Both sides could have scored a winner from then on, although Croatia remained on top. Perisic hit the post and Mario Mandzukic had a close-range shot well saved, while John Stones had his header cleared off the line.

The killer blow came in the second half of extra time. Stones switched off from Perisic’s header, allowing Mandzukic to swoop in and slam home in the 109th minute. There was to be no way back for England.

Initially, the fans and pundits were proud of the England side. However, as the dust settled, many people questioned whether Southgate could have done more to wrestle back control during the second half.

Spain 2-3 England

The inaugural Nations League season brought about mixed reactions. Many people considered it to be an irrelevant competition, but the drama remained nonetheless.

England have had mixed success in the new tournament, but enjoyed one of their finest performances of the modern era during the competition.

This came in 2018, when they travelled to a Spain side who hadn’t lost a competitive home game for 15 years.

The first half was nothing short of electrifying from Southgate’s men. First, Marcus Rashford fed Raheem Sterling, who emphatically found the top corner for his first international goal in three years.

Shortly afterwards, Rashford went from provider to finisher. Kane muscled off the attention from Sergio Ramos following Pickford’s long ball, worked a bit of space for himself, and picked out the Manchester United forward, who duly converted.

And there was still time for more. Ross Barkley’s ball over the top found Kane, who slid across for Sterling to tap home to make it 3-0.

The second half wasn’t so comfortable, as Spain came out searching for a way back in. Paco Alcacer headed in from a corner, and Ramos netted one right at the death. But the damage was already done, and England claimed the three points.

Many people point to this game as the best performance during Southgate’s time. It was a truly marvellous display.

Netherlands 3-1 England (AET)

England followed up that Nations League victory with a win over Croatia, taking them to the top of the group. This ensured that they qualified for the first-ever Nations League finals, which took place in Portugal in 2019.

Their opponents were the Netherlands, who had got the better of France and Germany to reach the semi-finals. The winner would face Portugal for the trophy.

Despite a slow start, the Three Lions took the lead. Matthijs de Ligt conceded a penalty after a loose touch and subsequent foul on Rashford, and the forward stepped up and coolly converted his spot-kick.

Early in the second half, Jadon Sancho had a wonderful chance to make it 2-0 and almost certainly book his side’s place in the final. Fabian Delph found the winger completely unmarked six yards out, but he could only head directly at Jasper Cillessen.

But it soon became a familiar story for England. Frenkie de Jong took control in midfield and Southgate was unable to find a solution.

The Dutch side secured an equaliser with 17 minutes remaining. De Ligt made amends for his previous error, heading in at the near post from Memphis Depay’s corner.

England thought they had retaken the lead ten minutes later when Lingard finished from Barkley’s through ball. But the celebrations were cut short by VAR, as replays showed that the midfielder was marginally offside.

England pressed the self-destruct button in extra time. Stones was the guilty party, putting the ball on a plate for Depay in his own box. The forward had his shot saved by Pickford, but the rebound was put into his own net by Walker.

And the game was finished off in the second half through another error. This time it was Barkley at fault, finding Depay with a weak back pass. The former Man Utd man squared for Quincy Promes, who finished into an empty net.

While individual errors are out of a manager’s control, Southgate had again struggled to win the midfield battle. Worries increased over his tactical acumen.

England 2-0 Germany

England’s performances in the group stage of Euro 2020 were reasonably bright. They collected seven points from three games without conceding a goal. However, they only bagged two – both by Sterling.

In the round of 16 was a clash with Germany at Wembley Stadium. Die Mannschaft hadn’t been at their absolute best, exiting the previous World Cup in the group stages.

Nonetheless, any side boasting the likes of Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, Ilkay Gundogan and Jamal Musiala on their BENCH was a real threat.

To make matters even more interesting, both sides had landed on the perceived ‘easier’ half of the draw. Whoever won this game became the favourites to reach the final.

It was a cagey affair for most of the game. Kane and Maguire squandered chances in the first half, and Pickford was called into action to deny Timo Werner and Kai Havertz.

The breakthrough came in the 75th minute, and it was an England goal. Sterling was once again the scorer, tapping in from Luke Shaw’s low cross.

Moments later, Germany almost drew level when Havertz played Thomas Muller through on goal. The Bayern Munich legend – who had previously knocked England out back in 2010 – somehow dragged his shot wide in what was a huge let-off.

The Three Lions took advantage of this relief, securing the victory late on. Substitute Jack Grealish fed Kane with a cross, and the captain couldn’t miss with his close-range header.

The celebrations were wild. After 18 months of empty stadiums due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were scenes seldom seen at Wembley. It was a historic evening for England.

Italy 1-1 England (Italy win 3-2 on penalties)

England’s Euro 2020 adventure continued with victories over Ukraine and Denmark. Now, they were in their first-ever European Championship final and their second final since 1966.

Standing in between them and the trophy were an Italy side who hadn’t lost their previous 33 outings – a run that stretched back almost three years.

They had seen off Belgium and Spain to get there. It promised to be a tight game.

Just two minutes in, England made the perfect start. Trippier found Shaw at the back post in acres of space, and the left-back fired in on the volley for his first international goal.

This was to be their only shot on target all afternoon. The same issues resurfaced, as Italy’s technical quality in midfield began to dominate. And, once again, Southgate appeared to have little response to this.

Much like the previous instances, the bombardment of Italian pressure proved too much for England’s backline. Pickford saved well from Marco Verratti’s header, but the ball fell kindly for Leonardo Bonucci to tap in for an equaliser.

The Azzurri continued to control the game, and ought to have got themselves in front when Domenico Berardi fired over on the volley. But they weren’t able to find a second, and the game went to a shoot-out.

Kane and Maguire converted their efforts emphatically, and Pickford saved from Andrea Belotti to give England the upper hand after two penalties each. But this advantage was short-lived, as Rashford and Sancho failed to score.

Jorginho stepped up, knowing that a goal would secure the trophy for Italy. But Pickford stepped up, diverting the ball onto the post to keep England’s hopes alive.

Next up was Bukayo Saka. Just 19 at the time, he knew that a miss would hand victory to the opposition. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma dived to his left, palming the teenager’s effort away to win the competition.

Things soon got ugly for England. Violence kicked off in the streets, and the trio who missed all faced disgusting racist abuse.

Many people questioned Southgate’s tactical approach again. It came down to fine margins, but some saw it as a missed opportunity.

England 0-4 Hungary

England’s first Nations League campaign resulted in a semi-final. In their second, they finished third in the group, remaining in League A. Their third and most recent was an absolute disaster, failing to win in six and getting relegated.

By far the worst of the games came against Hungary at Molineux. They had already lost the reverse fixture 1-0 but had an opportunity to make things right two weeks later.

Things started badly when Roland Sallai’s attempt snuck in at Aaron Ramsdale’s near post. England pressed for an equaliser but went behind at half-time.

The second half continued in similar fashion, with the home side dominating possession but unable to create any noteworthy chances. Then they were hit on the break, and Sallai grabbed his second.

But the misery didn’t stop there. Zsolt Nagy made it three with a powerful strike, Stones received a second yellow card, and Daniel Gazdag put the finishing touches on a memorable performance for Hungary late on. England 0-4 Hungary.

It was an utter humiliation for Southgate’s side. And, with the World Cup just a few months away, there were major fears of an early exit.

England 1-2 France

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar began encouragingly for England. There was an underwhelming performance against the United States, but that was easily forgotten amid three comfortable victories over Iran, Wales and Senegal.

Up next was a quarter-final against France – a noticeable step up in quality compared to their previous opponents. The winner would face Morocco in the semi-finals. This was a huge opportunity for both sides.

A wonder strike by Aurelien Tchouameni gave Les Bleus an early lead. But, to their credit, England responded well, testing Hugo Lloris on multiple occasions.

And they were rewarded early in the second half when Saka was brought down by Tchouameni. Kane stepped up and powered his penalty into the top corner to even the score.

Both sides had opportunities to take the lead, and a winning goal eventually came in the 78th minute. Antoine Griezmann’s pinpoint delivery was met by Olivier Giroud, whose header deflected past Pickford.

But that wasn’t the end of the drama after Mason Mount was bundled to the ground by Theo Hernandez. Kane was again the taker, but this time sent his spot-kick several yards over the bar.

This defeat wasn’t much like the others. England had 57% possession, double France’s shots, and eight shots on target to their opponents’ five.

To put it simply, they played well and got unlucky. On another day, they would have won – and quite possibly gone on to win the entire competition.

Netherlands 1-2 England

England went into Euro 2024 among the favourites. With Kane, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham entering the tournament in top form, expectations were as high as they’d ever been.

Despite this, the Three Lions struggled to impress early on. They narrowly beat Serbia in their opener, drew with Denmark and Slovenia, needed extra time to get past Slovakia in the round of 16, and beat Switzerland on penalties.

When they faced the Netherlands in the semi-finals, many people believed this to be their toughest test yet. And those fears were elevated when Xavi Simons gave the Oranje the lead after seven minutes.

But they responded well to going behind, equalising 11 minutes later after the award of a controversial penalty.

And they will have been disappointed not to have gone in leading at half-time, with Foden twice coming close to getting his first goal of the tournament.

They found things a bit more difficult in the second half, failing to create much for large parts of the game. With ten minutes of normal time remaining, Ollie Watkins and Cole Palmer were sent on – a change which proved decisive.

Mere seconds were left on the clock when the Chelsea playmaker fed the Aston Villa striker. From a tight angle, he found the far corner with a stunning finish, booking their ticket to the final.

Not only was it England’s best performance of the summer, but also a moment for Southgate to silence his critics.

His in-game management has often been scrutinised, but his substitutes won the game.

Spain 2-1 England

Another major final, this time against Spain. England had hobbled through the previous rounds, winning just two games in 90 minutes.

By contrast, Luis de la Fuente’s men had been exceptional, defeating Croatia, Italy, Germany and France on the way. There was little questioning who the favourites were.

The first half was the very definition of cagey. Spain dominated possession but couldn’t find a way past a stern English backline. Down the other end, there was little action, barring an attempt on target by Foden.

The second half was far more lively – right from the very beginning. Lamine Yamal worked some space and fed Nico Williams, who slid his effort past Pickford to make it 1-0 just two minutes after kick-off.

Spain continued to press for a second. Dani Olmo dragged his effort wide, and Yamal had a goal-bound effort well saved by Pickford.

Southgate turned to his substitutes, again bringing on Watkins and Palmer. And for the second time in a row, it was a new arrival that provided the necessary moment of magic.

Bellingham laid the ball back for Palmer and expertly guided his strike into the far corner. Back level and with the wind in their sails – would this be the turning point?

Well….no, is the answer to that question. Spain quickly regained control and piled on the pressure, with Yamal again being denied by Pickford.

The decisive moment came in the 86th minute. Marc Cucurella picked out Mikel Oyarzabal with a low cross, who finished at the near post to put his side back ahead.

Declan Rice and Marc Guehi came close to equalising late on, but it wasn’t to be. Southgate’s England were silver medallists again.

In truth, nobody could complain about the result. Spain were the better side on the night, and by far the better side throughout the tournament. England’s luck simply ran out.