Football
5 Memorable Ireland Vs England Games Ahead Of UEFA Nations League Opener
Ben Horlock is a sports news and features writer who holds a degree in sports journalism (BA Hons) from Southampton Solent University. Ben has been published across a wide variety of news outlets and websites including HITC, 90min, GiveMeSport, Betfair and Zoo Magazine. As well, Ben has worked in social media for four years in the sports gambling industry. For his sins, Ben is a QPR fan and is a keen follower of all the major European football leagues.
Get to know Ben Horlock betterPublished03 Sep 2024
The Ireland vs England football rivalry will be rekindled on September 7 as the pair go head-to-head at the Aviva Stadium.
It’ll be the first meeting of the two countries in four years as they get set to lock horns in the opening 2024/25 UEFA Nations League group F fixture.
A new era beckons for both countries as managers Heimir Hallgrimsson and Lee Carsley will both take charge for the first time.
The latter is a temporary replacement for Gareth Southgate. A positive set of results will mean he has a realistic chance of being named as his full time successor.
Hallgrimsson fills the void left by Stephen Kenny. The 57-year-old was actually part of the Iceland coaching staff when they beat England at Euro 2016.
A full 54 places separate in the FIFA World rankings ahead of the meeting in Dublin. When it comes down to it, the match could be a lot closer than imagined.
Here at Sportscasting, we take a look back at the five most memorable meetings between Ireland and England.
England 0-2 Ireland – September 21, 1949
The Ireland vs England football rivalry started to gain traction when the visitors became the first non-British team to beat the Three Lions on home soil.
Con Martin’s first-half penalty and Peter Farrell’s second-half strike were enough to down the English at Goodison Park. It may have only been an international friendly, but it was certainly a historic victory for the Irish.
England 3-0 Ireland – November 12, 2020
The most recent meeting between the sides ended in a routine 3-0 win for England. Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho and Dominic Calvert-Lewin netted at Wembley.
A certain Jude Bellingham made his Three Lions debut at the age of 17 years and 137 days. However, not many people were there to see it owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
England 0-1 Ireland – June 12, 1988
Ireland’s last and certainly most famous victory against England came at Euro 1988. Ray Houghton wrote himself into Irish football folklore with a sixth-minute winner.
Englishman Jack Charlton went on to take the plaudits against Sir Bobby Robson’s side. Furthermore, it was Ireland’s very first appearance at a major international finals.
England 1-1 Ireland – June 11, 1990
Two years on from Ireland’s Euro 1988 success, the nations would play out a 1-1 draw at Italia 90. Gary Lineker scored the opening goal with less than 10 minutes on the clock.
Kevin Sheedy ensured the Three Lions would be limited to just a point in their group stage clash in Cagliari. Nonetheless, both nations would go on to progress to the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.
Ireland (1) – 0 England – February 15, 1995
The Ireland vs England football friendly from 1995 is ‘memorable’ for all of the wrong reasons. Hosted at Landsdowne Road, Dublin, the referee was forced to abandon the match owing to continuous fan trouble from Three Lions supporters.
David Kelly had put the hosts in front before a disallowed David Platt equaliser provided the turning point. The away fans bombarded Irish supporters with missiles and chanted derogatory comments. Ireland boss and England World Cup winner Jack Charlton said: “Every Englishman should be ashamed.”