Holland 2-0 England

The game was played with all the breathlessness of a Cup Final and England found they were fighting a rearguard action from the first whistle. Slowly but surely, though, Taylor’s men started to come back into the game and there were a couple of near misses from Tony Adams and David Platt, as well as a Tony Dorigo shot that struck a Dutch post.

Holland’s Frank Rijkaard had a first half ‘goal’ disallowed when referee Karl-Josef Assenmacher adjudged it offside, but TV replays proved that the Dutchman was clearly onside and the goal should have stood. A let-off for England, then.

But it was the turn of the men in white to feel aggrieved 15 minutes into the second half when Ronald Koeman cynically hauled down Platt as he raced in on goal. England screamed for a penalty, but the offence had taken place outside the Dutch penalty area. Koeman, however, had clearly been guilty of committing a professional foul that merited a red card. The referee chose only to book the Dutch captain and the decision soon came back to haunt England.

Just two minutes later Paul Ince fouled Jan Wouters on the edge of the England penalty box. Koeman stepped up to shoot, Ince blocked the shot, but was booked for encroaching. The free-kick had to be re-taken and this time Koeman dinked the ball into the far corner of the English net.

Paul Merson was unlucky to see a shot hit the Dutch crossbar moments afterwards, but Dennis Bergkamp scored a second for Holland to put the game beyond any doubt.

England had lost – and their World Cup qualification hopes were hanging by the flimsiest of threads.

Key Figures

Did You Know...?

Graham Taylor realised that when his England team lost in Rotterdam the game was also up for him as manager. In the An Impossible Job documentary the microphones pick up an extraordinary conversation between Taylor and the FIFA official at the side of the pitch as England trail 2-0. “You know we’ve been cheated, don’t you?” he says. “Even if he doesn’t see it as a penalty he has to go. You know that. I know you know it. And then the fella scores the free-kick. You see, at the end of the day, I get the sack now. The referee’s got me the sack. Thank him ever so much for that, won’t you?”

England’s skipper on the night, David Platt, had a more generous take on the Koeman incident after the event. “I saw Incey remonstrating with the referee and realised he'd only given a free-kick,” he said. “I was disappointed, but I saw it later on TV and it was outside the box. As the free-kick was being lined up Koeman apologised for the foul. I think it was instinctive on his part, rather than premeditated.”

If continuity and stability are the key to success, then Taylor’s failure as England manager is perfectly understandable. In his 38 games in charge he used a whopping 58 players!

What Happened Next

Holland still had to travel to Poland and win to ensure their own qualification from Group Two. England had failed to beat the Poles in Chorzow, but the Dutch made no such mistake in Poznan and triumphed by three goals to one. They qualified for the 1994 World Cup finals in the USA behind Norway, who topped Group Two.

After England’s failure to qualify and the absolute vilification he received in the press, Taylor resigned as England manager on November 24, 1993. He was replaced by Terry Venables in January 1994.