There was another England-Germany clash at Euro 2000 as the countries were drawn together at the group stage. A Shearer goal gave England victory, but both countries made an early exit. England had let a two-goal lead slip in their opening match against Pormgal, losing 3-2. They also led Romania 2-1 in their final match but again failed to press home the advantage and were on the receiving end of another 3-2 defeat.
Failure to qualify for the latter stages led Kevin Keegan to question his abihty at the highest level. He stood down with quahfication for the 2002 World Cup in
Japan and Korea hanging in the balance. The FA looked further afield for their next appointment. Sven-Goran Eriksson was not a universally popular choice, despite his excellent credentials. He silenced many of his critics with a stunning 5-1 win in Germany in September 2001, a result which got England’s World Cup campaign back on track.
“Group of Death”
Eriksson succeeded in getting the country out of the “Group of Death”, a Beckham penalty against Argentina exorcising the ghost of France ‘98. A comfortable wdn over Denmark followed, but England went down to favourites Brazil in the quarter-final. Ronaldinho’s 3 5-yard free-kick floated over Seaman’s head for the winning goal, leading many to speculate on his future for both Arsenal and England.
World History
