England’s form this international window has been worrying, to say the least, yet even the most pessimistic of supporters would not have predicted the Three Lions to lose 4-0 to Hungary.
Their worst home loss since 1928 and a result that saw Gareth Southgate booed off the pitch at Molineux, the pressure has finally started to settle for the England manager, who so far has been the nation’s most successful coach since Sir Alf Ramsey.
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A lot of factors can be attributed to the loss, such as the majority of England’s players running on their last legs after what has been one of the most exhausting seasons in years, with Harry Kane alone playing 62 games since last August.
Indeed, tiredness could be attributed to the 4-0 loss to Hungary, but it still doesn’t hide the fact that this result is arguably England’s worst in some time, yet here are five more games that could match the battering at Wolverhampton in the UEFA Nations League since 2010.
England 4-1 Germany
England fans to this day are to still raging that Frank Lampard’s goal which crossed the line was disallowed, but even that can’t hide the fact that the Three Lions were utterly battered in this 2010 FIFA World Cup knockout stage fixture against the old enemy Germany.
Early exits from major tournaments had been a theme for England for most of the 21st Century, and 2010 was no different as an uninspired side managed by Fabio Capello left South Africa early in a 4-1 drubbing in Bloemfontein.
England 1-2 Uruguay
The 2014 FIFA World Cup could easily go down as England’s worst international tournament in some time, with the Three Lions scoring just twice and claiming a single point as Roy Hodgson’s side finished bottom of the group featuring Italy (more on them later), Uruguay and Costa Rica.
After a 2-1 loss to the Azzurri in their opening fixture, a win against Uruguay could have put England back on track to qualify from the group. However, a Luis Suarez-inspired performance threw the Three Lions off for a loop, and the home nation were eliminated from the World Cup after just two games.
England 1-2 Iceland
England’s 4-0 loss to Hungary was embarrassing, for sure, but even that doesn’t match the 2-1 loss to Iceland in Euro 2016 in the Round of 16, a result that is arguably one of the biggest giant killings in modern international football.
In a miserable tournament that just looked doomed to fail, Wayne Rooney’s early goal was cancelled out by Ragnar Sigurdsson and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, who sent the island nation of over 300,000 people into the quarter-finals of the Euros and sent England home in an embarrassing fashion.
England 1-2 Croatia
The 2018 FIFA World Cup brought little optimism for England fans, but after breezing through the group stages and actually winning a penalty shootout, the nation was gripped in football and Southgate fever, with the Three Lions making it all the way to the semi-finals to face Croatia.
Another early goal, this time from Kieran Trippier, put England ahead, and had Harry Kane squared the ball to Raheem Sterling 30 minutes in, it could have been 2-0 to the Three Lions. Alas, a World Cup final was not to be, as Croatia mounted a comeback and eventually secured a 2-1 win late into extra time.
England 1-1 Italy
A major tournament final at Wembley Stadium with the entire crowd on your side and another early goal, surely England couldn’t mess this one up, right? In typical fashion, the Three Lions absolutely bottled it.
Italy pulled the game back to 1-1 and forced the game to penalties, and three missed spot-kicks, the last of which coming from a 19-year-old Bukayo Saka taking his first-ever professional penalty, was easily saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, bringing an entire nation to tears and thinking ‘will we ever be this close again?’
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