England’s quest for World Cup glory continues with their Round of 32 clash against DR Congo on Wednesday.
It will be the Three Lions’ 11th World Cup knockout match this century, and the previous 10 have delivered the customary mix of joy and despair.
Here, we look back on each of those games, from the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan to the 2022 tournament in Qatar, via Germany 2006, South Africa 2010 and Russia 2018.
Denmark 0-3 England (2002 Last 16)
Having finished second behind Sweden on goal difference in their group, England’s ‘Golden Generation’ made a flying start to the 2002 World Cup knockout stage against another Scandinavian side.
Rio Ferdinand headed Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Three Lions ahead inside five minutes against Denmark in Niigata, with classic ‘little and large’ front two Michael Owen and Emile Heskey making it 3-0 before half-time.
The margin of victory was England’s biggest in a World Cup knockout game since beating Paraguay by the same scoreline in 1986.
Brazil 2-1 England (2002 Quarter-finals)
Tournament favourites Brazil lay in wait for England next – and this tie in Shizuoka started so promisingly for the Three Lions as Michael Owen pounced on Lucio’s mistake to stroke his country in front midway through the first half.
But two of Brazil’s legendary attacking trio of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho were to break English hearts.
Rivaldo equalised on the stroke of half-time before Ronaldinho infamously lobbed David Seaman with a free-kick from miles out – and though Ronaldinho was (harshly) sent off with more than half an hour to play, England were unable to find a way back into the game.
England 1-0 Ecuador (2006 Last 16)
Big players produce the goods in big moments – and England have had few players quite as reliable in that sense as David Beckham.
Captaining his nation at a second World Cup, Beckham underlined his set-piece prowess yet again with a dipping free-kick to see off Ecuador in Gelsenkirchen.
In doing so, the great Three Lions skipper – battling through illness to represent his nation – became the first Englishman to score at three World Cups.
England 0-0 Portugal – 1-3 on Penalties (2006 Quarter-finals)
For the second World Cup running, England’s run ended in agonising fashion at the quarter-final stage – and there was a painfully familiar feeling about the manner of the Three Lions’ exit to Portugal, which came at the same venue where they’d beaten Ecuador.
Having been dumped out of Euro 2004 by the Portuguese in a shootout, England suffered the same fate, Owen Hargreaves the only player successful from the spot as Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher saw their penalties saved by Ricardo.
Eriksson’s final match in charge was one to forget, not least for Wayne Rooney, who saw red for a stamp on Ricardo Carvalho – after which Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney’s Manchester United teammate, caused a furore by winking to the bench.
Germany 4-1 England (2010 Last 16)
England’s 2010 World Cup began amid turmoil – Fabio Capello tripped John Terry of the captaincy following allegations he’d had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of teammate Wayne Bridge, then stand-in Rio Ferdinand was ruled out through injury, leaving Steven Gerrard to take the armband – and it ended in misery.
The Three Lions hadn’t beaten Germany at the World Cup since the 1966 final – and their luck wasn’t about to change in Bloemfontein.
Of course, Frank Lampard’s equalising ‘goal’ with the score at 2-1 which clearly crossed the line but wasn’t given understandably still provokes strong feelings all these years later, but England ultimately imploded to suffer their heaviest-ever World Cup defeat.
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Colombia 1-1 England – 3-4 on Penalties (2018 Last 16)
It would be eight years before England next featured in the World Cup knockouts, having crashed out at the group stage in 2014 – but it was well worth the wait as Gareth Southgate’s revitalised Three Lions made history against a Colombia team John Stones described as ‘probably the dirtiest’ he’d ever faced.
Harry Kane’s penalty in normal time looked to be sending England through the easy way in Moscow, but Yerry Mina’s stoppage-time header sent the tie to extra time – which was followed by a dreaded shootout.
England had never won on penalties in three previous attempts at the World Cup – but Southgate’s side wrote a new chapter in the nation’s footballing history books, Jordan Pickford making two saves and Eric Dier dispatching the winning spot-kick.
Sweden 0-2 England (2018 Quarter-finals)
No such drama was required in the last eight as England recorded their biggest World Cup knockout win for 16 years.
A goal in each half from Harry Maguire and Dele Alli got the job done against Sweden in Samara and sent the Three Lions into their first major tournament semi-final since Italia ’90.
The victory was also England’s first over Sweden at the World Cup at the fifth time of asking, having drawn all four previous encounters.
England 2-1 Croatia – After Extra Time (2018 Semi-finals)
England returned to Moscow for their biggest game in almost three decades, and there was pandemonium in the stands and in the living rooms and pubs back home as Kieran Trippier’s free-kick put them 1-0 up after just five minutes – a dream start.
But it wasn’t to be for Southgate’s men, and things started to unravel when Ivan Perisic equalised midway through the second half to force extra time.
Croatia completed the turnaround through Mario Mandzukic and held on to reach their first World Cup final.
It was heartbreak again for England – but this time, it felt different: visibly emotional as he was serenaded by the travelling Three Lions supporters, Southgate had made the nation believe again, and three years later he would guide England to their first major final since 1966.
England 3-0 Senegal (2022 Last 16)
Agonisingly beaten on penalties by Italy in the final of Euro 2020, Southgate’s England picked themselves up and went again at the 2022 World Cup, topping their group to set up a last-16 showdown with Senegal.
And it couldn’t have gone much better for the Three Lions in Al Khor, who rode out a tough start to sweep aside the reigning African champions.
Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane struck to give England a 2-0 lead at the break, with Bukayo Saka making absolutely sure of their progress shortly before the hour mark.
England 1-2 France (2022 Quarter-finals)
After the high of Senegal came England’s latest World Cup low – and an all-too-familiar quarter-final exit, this time at the hands of holders France.
Back in Al Khor, this game was a tale of two penalties. Harry Kane buried the first to cancel out Aurelien Tchouameni’s opener – but the Three Lions captain couldn’t repeat the trick once Olivier Giroud had restored France’s lead.
Stepping up following a VAR check, Kane had a golden chance to send the tie to extra time – but he sent his effort well over the bar, sparking stunned silence as England fell at the last-eight hurdle for the third time in six World Cups.
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