England 1-1 Switzerland: Three Lions’ Euro 96 Campaign Kicked Off With a Whimper

Ahhh Euro 96. You little temptress, you. The mere mention of the tournament sends most England fans all nostalgic and wistful.

We may not have triumphed (obviously), we may have been beaten by the Germans (obviously), but what an event we put on. We showed the rest of the world how it’s done with a crash, bang, wallop of a competition.

Well, so our selective memory might have us think…

England may have had an emphatic exit from their home tournament, but their entrance left even the most excitable of Three Lions followers a little underwhelmed.

Over 76,000 packed themselves into Wembley Stadium to see Terry Venables’ men kick off the tenth European Championship finals.  

El Tel’s men started brightly, with Alan Shearer producing a quintessential-Shearer finish on 23 minutes, rifling the ball into the top of the net from ten yards out.

After that it was a bit of a damp squib. England struggled to break down a resolute Switzerland defence, and with magic-man Paul Gascoigne unable to really get a grip on the game, England had lost their most creative outlet.

Nevertheless, other than a late first-half scare which saw David Seaman’s bar rattled, the Swiss were little threat and the hosts were ready to settle for a hard-fought opening day win.

Not quite...

With just seven minutes of the 90 remaining, referee Manuel Diaz Vega inexplicably adjudged Stuart Pearce to have handled in the area, after Swiss forward Marco Grassi had fired it towards the England man from close range.

Standout Switzerland performer Kubi Turkyilmaz stepped up and nonchalantly rolled the ball into the bottom corner, securing his side a point and leaving a previously raucous Wembley rather deflated.

ENGLAND

Key Talking Point

Oh England, not this again.

Like a misbehaving puppy that you’re positive is capable of change and you’re sure is going to be good, you build up your hopes and dreams and it does exactly the same thing it always has done - lets you down.

The atmosphere prior to the kick off of Euro 96 was as feverish an atmosphere as you’re likely to experience at an international match; ‘Three Lions’ booming over the speakers followed by the national anthem being belted out.

England had qualified for Euro 96 automatically as hosts, meaning this was their first competitive international since the doomed USA 94 campaign. Expectations were high, but Venables’ men just couldn’t deliver.

The warning signs were there early on as both Gary Neville and Pearce tried their luck from 25 yards. Against a well-drilled side like Switzerland, patience was key, but after just half an hour England had bottled it and their full-backs were firing from range. The pressure of an expectant crowd was already too much and they had begun to force the matter.

Switzerland had pinpointed Gazza as England’s main threat and they weren’t wrong. Without his creativity there was no link between midfield and attack. England were reduced to 50-50 high balls looped into the box and their efforts were proving fruitless.

With a powerful Netherlands team and a fierce clash with neighbours Scotland to come, England could ill-afford to throw away points against Switzerland, but that’s just what they had done.

England Player Ratings

Starting XI: Seaman (6); G. Neville (7), Adams (5), Southgate (5), Pearce (5); Anderton (6), Ince (7), Gascoigne (6), McManaman (7); Sheringham (6), Shearer (8*).

Substitutes: Stone (5), Barmby (7), Platt (6).

Alan Shearer

It seems ridiculous to think but heading into Euro 96 questions were being raised of Shearer.

Despite having scored 30 or more for three consecutive Premier League seasons, the Blackburn man was enduring a nearly two-year international goal drought.

Some were beginning to question the England man’s technique – was he a flat-track bully who was only suited to the Premier League and didn’t have the finesse for international football?

Shearer’s international drought stretched 12 games – all friendlies it must be stressed – but as soon as he played a competitive match the big man showed he was the man for the big occasion. There can be no accusing Shearer of padding out his England record with goals in meaningless friendlies.

He would go on to score five goals in the competition and claim the Golden Boot.

SWITZERLAND

Key Talking Point

Switzerland were far from a team in disarray, but their preparations for the summer had been far from smooth.

Having spent almost four years at the helm, in November 1995 Roy Hodgson left his post as Switzerland manager to take over at Inter. The news came as a blow to a Swiss side who were less than a year away from their first ever European Championship appearance and were now without a manager.

Former Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain boss Artur Jorge took charge, but with the team already qualified, his first competitive fixture would be at Euro 96. And that was evident from his side’s display.

This was clearly a Hodgson team; well-drilled, tough-tackling, hard-working, but very little offered offensively.

They would go on to lose their remaining group games 2-0 and 1-0, meaning the only goal they scored in the tournament was a penalty which shouldn’t have been given.

Frustratingly, it was clear that Turkyilmaz and Grassi upfront had something different – in flashes against England they displayed a touch and a sharpness above what any of their teammates could offer, but they weren’t afforded the chance to showcase their talent.

This was a Hodgson team. The philosophy may have gleaned a point against England, but ultimately it saw them dumped out of the competition.

Switzerland Player Ratings

Starting XI: Pascolo (7); Jeanneret (6), Henchov (7), Vega (7), Quentin (6); Vogel (7), Bonvin (6), Sforza (6); Geiger (6), Grassi (6), Turkyilmaz (7).

Substitutes: Chapuisat (6), Koller (6).

Kubi Turkyilmaz

As the England team lined up to sing the national anthem in front of 76,000 people, there won’t have been many with their chest puffed out further than Stuart Pearce. But when the left-back walked off after 90 minutes he will have had his shirt over his head, and it’s all thanks to this man.

Turkyilmaz gave Pearce a torrid time down the Switzerland right, leaving the Nottingham Forest man red-faced on more than one occasion.

Perhaps the adrenaline pumping through Pearce’s veins had a detrimental affect on his performance, but Turkyilmaz certainly made the most of it if so.

The forward capped off an excellent display in a defensively structured side by rolling his penalty nonchalantly into the corner like he was playing footy with his mates.

What Aged the Worst?

Venables’ tenure.

The former Spurs and Barcelona boss seemed to have the respect of every single player in the England squad, and more importantly he knew how to manage Gazza. Any manager who could get the best of him had a chance of lifting silverware. Unfortunately, he resigned and Gazza didn't go to another international tournament.

What Aged the Best?

The Swiss national side – they may not be much more adventurous in their play than they were that day at Wembley, but their major tournament pedigree has certainly taken a boost. Having failed to qualify for any European Championship Finals prior to Euro 96, they have gone on to reach four of the subsequent six tournaments.

Also, Alan Shearer’s international record - after nearly two years without a goal for England and with only five international goals to his name at this point, some were beginning to raise eyebrows at the former Blackburn man’s persistent inclusion in the starting XI - 30 England goals in 63 games tell you all you need to know.

What Happened Next?

Eugh.

England flew through the group, beating rivals Scotland thanks partly to a piece of magic from Gazza, they then secured top spot in the group after producing a masterclass against the Netherlands, romping to victory 4-1. The quarter-finals saw them beat Spain on penalties, only for Germany-penalty heartbreak once again in the semi-final. Poor Gareth Southgate.

The Swiss seemed quite content just to be on holiday for a few weeks, putting up very little fight as they left the tournament with a whimper, going down 2-0 and 1-0 to the Netherlands and Scotland, respectively.