In an interview with The Sun, English football legend Teddy Sheringham expressed his firm belief that England will emerge victorious, and he hopes for a replication of the team’s resounding victory over the Netherlands in the 1996 European Championship.
In the 1996 European Championship, as hosts, England was grouped with the Netherlands, Scotland, and Switzerland in Group A. In the third round of the group stage, England thrashed the Netherlands 4-1 at Wembley Stadium, with Alan Shearer scoring twice and Sheringham netting in the 51st and 62nd minutes.
Sheringham is convinced that Gareth Southgate’s squad will outperform the team he played for in 1996 – when England reached the semi-finals but lost to Germany on penalties. Sheringham stated, “England will win, and then go on to win Euro 2024!”
The 58-year-old Sheringham also noted that the semi-final clash against the Netherlands in Dortmund would be long-awaited revenge for the English against Ronald Koeman, due to unresolved issues from 31 years ago.
Back in October 1993, during the qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup, England and the Netherlands were pitted against each other in a group of death (alongside Norway, Poland, and Turkey). During a decisive match for qualification, England’s David Platt had a clear goal-scoring opportunity but was fouled by Koeman, who should have been sent off according to Sheringham, as the referee did not show him a red card, sparking massive controversy. Subsequently, Koeman scored from a free-kick, helping the Netherlands defeat England, which ultimately cost the Three Lions their spot in the 1994 World Cup in the USA, missing out by just two points.
“Koeman scored from a free-kick, but he should have been sent off before that, it was so obvious,” Sheringham recalled about the incident: “Indeed, we didn’t play well at the time, but we shouldn’t have lost. We never forgot, so defeating Koeman’s team would be sweet revenge.”