EM 2024 - Barely making it to the quarter-finals: England the favorite that shouldn't be - a look at history
England, the homeland of football. The land of football legends like George Best and Bobby Charlton. The land, where once David Beckham's right foot and also David Beckham's left foot – trying to quote a film here – reached World stardom. England, the proud football nation. Once again at this European championship, the Three Lions were counted among the favorites, as usual. However, a look into the history books shows that the English have never truly convinced on the big European Championship stage. Let alone won a title.
At the last European tournament, the English came close to climbing the European football throne. The dream of the first title was shattered, however, out of all places, at home in Wembley Stadium, as they lost to the Italians. They had never gone that far in a European Championship before.
Disappointing record of the English at European Championships
Apart from that, the record of the English at European Championships looks rather bleak. They have only managed to finish among the top three on three occasions: in 1968, the Lions won against the USSR in the third place play-off, in 1996, England lost in the semi-finals to Germany. However, the third place play-off that year was not played, so the placement is not official.
Five times, the English failed to qualify for the Euros, and four times they didn't make it past the group stage. The European Championship 2024 included, they have only reached the quarter-finals twice, the semi-finals twice. Instead of great achievements, the English have so far amassed more negative records. The Three Lions are now infamous for their performance in penalty shootouts. No other team has lost more. A curse that has followed England since the European Championship semi-final in 1990 and cost them the title in the last EM. They have had to participate in five penalty shootouts at European Championships, only one of which they managed to win.
England, the unlikely favorite
The yield of the English at European Championships is clearly poor. The fact that the Three Lions were once again counted among the best European teams in 2021, when they came close to winning the title, and that the team is full of stars from the Premier League, is what saved them. Harry Kane leads the charge for the Lions. The team's biggest problem, according to rumors before the tournament, was the coach Gareth Southgate.
On Sunday evening at the quarter-final match, it looked for a long time as if Vice-European champion England would follow the same path as European champion Italy and leave the tournament. Against Slovakia, the Brits looked pale in their first knockout game of this EM, trailed for a long time. Only in stoppage time did Jude Bellingham score the equalizer and force extra time. Harry Kane followed suit shortly thereafter. With a sigh of relief, the Lions made it to the semi-finals. An unlikely turnaround.
Despite their rich football history and legendary players like Bobby Charlton and George Best, England has had a disappointing record at the European Championship. They have only managed to finish among the top three on three occasions, with their closest title attempt ending in heartbreak at Wembley Stadium during the 1990 semifinals and the subsequent penalty shootout curse.
Defying expectations, England secured a quarter-final entry at the 2021 European Championship, overcoming a stubborn Slovakia in extra time after trailing for much of the match. Striker Harry Kane played a key role in the comeback, scoring an equalizer in stoppage time and then securing a spot in the semifinals with a penalty kick.
England's history at the European Championship has been marked by missed opportunities and underachievement, but the 2021 team, spearheaded by stars like David Beckham's successor in the Premier League, is determined to change that narrative and break the curse of the penalty shootouts.
