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Scotland have booked their seat at Euro 2020 where they will face England. Before next summer’s showdown, let’s pick some memorable match-ups between old rivals.
Steve Clarke’s team qualified for the European Championships with a dramatic penalty shoot-out win against Serbia, meaning they will be involved in a major tournament final for the first time since the 1998 World Cup.
There, at Euro 2020, they will be in a group with Croatia, the Czech Republic and England.
The head-to-head battle between the two teams currently features 48 wins in England, 41 wins in Scotland and 25 draws.
There have been many great moments in those games over the years, and from Scottish Wembley Wizards to Paul Gascoigne’s magic moment, we look at five fights that have given fans of both teams wonderful memories …
1928 – England 1-5 Scotland
This much-celebrated victory for Scotland saw the visiting team subsequently hailed as Wembley Wizards. Hopes weren’t high after a controversial squad selection ruled out some big Scottish names, while the England squad included most of the Football League squad that had beaten their Scottish counterparts 6-2 just three weeks earlier. With striker Dixie Dean in the middle of his 60-goal season, England have become a firm favorite.
However, on a soggy Wembley pitch, Scotland stunned opponents with their tough strikers who proved too hot to handle. Alex Jackson scored in three minutes and Alex James scored two just before half-time. Scotland continued to dominate after the break adding two more goals and with five minutes remaining Jackson completed his hat-trick and scored five. England scored with one minute to go but had been largely beaten. James commented after the game: “We could have had 10.”
1967 – England 2-3 Scotland
This 1967 bout between the two teams is arguably Scotland’s most famous victory over England, coming as it did against the previous year’s world champions on their home turf at Wembley, thus inflicting the first defeat on Sir Alf Ramsey’s side. from winning the World Cup at the same stadium. Given that Celtic’s European Cup triumph the following month saw the participation of four teams from Scotland, it is difficult in hindsight to appreciate the magnitude of the result.
Denis Law opened the scoring for Scotland in the first half and Bobby Lennox doubled up in the final. There was still time for impromptu striker Jack Charlton to retire one, but Jim McCalliog restored his two-goal lead with minutes to go. Geoff Hurst’s goal moments later proved to be little consolation as Scotland caused severe upset, maliciously crowning themselves unofficial world champions.
1977 – England 1-2 Scotland
A game in which the celebrations later exceeded the 90 minutes that preceded them. England hosted Scotland in a winning take-all match at Wembley, with the winner set to take home the British Home Championship. Goals from Gordon McQueen and Kenny Dalglish helped Ally McLeod’s side win 2-1, with Mike Channon’s late penalty only a consolation for Ron Greenwood’s men.
What followed was a sea of tartan in the field: a mass invasion by the Scots who had made the journey south of the border. Scottish fans surrounding a bent and broken Wembley crossbar have become one of the iconic images of this great rivalry, while many fans have brought home patches of the sacred turf to commemorate the occasion.
1996 – England – Scotland 2-0
The first and only match between the two teams in a major tournament took place at Euro ’96 with host England. After an ominous start for Terry Venables and his team with a 1-1 draw with Switzerland, this Wembley match proved to be memorable as England’s victory sparked national hysteria, not least due to the admirable goal of Paul Gascoigne who was to be tried on playing fields across the country for years to come.
Scotland prevailed in the first half, but Alan Shearer led England into the lead early in the second. Fifteen minutes from time, Tony Adams fouled Gordon Durie and a penalty was awarded to Scotland for David Seaman alone to save Gary McAllister’s penalty. Soon after, Steve McManaman helped the ball forward on the left and Gascoigne did his thing: lifting the ball over Colin Hendry and shoving the ball low into the net. Cue celebrations from the dentist’s chair and a growing belief that football would soon be coming home.
1999 – Scotland 0-2 England
A spot at Euro 2000 was at stake when old rivals met in a two-legged playoff in 1999 that had to go straight to the wire. Ultimately, it was England’s efforts in the opening 45 minutes of the three-hour match that proved decisive with Paul Scholes chosen as the key figure in front of over 50,000 at Hampden Park. “He is one of those who believe actions speak louder than words,” England boss Kevin Keegan said and Scholes’s two goals certainly silenced the Scots in Glasgow.
Catching a long pass, the Manchester United midfielder opened the scoring midway through the first half and after Kevin Gallacher couldn’t find a way to overtake David Seaman for an immediate response, Scholes headed home a second on a free-kick by David Beckham just before the break. England held out 2-0 and while Scotland won the return to Wembley, Don Hutchison’s goal was not enough to equalize the scores overall.
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