Henderson: ‘We haven’t mentioned Euro 96 loss’
Jordan Henderson has revealed there has been no talk of Euro 96 and England's semi-final defeat by Germany despite the two nations being paired together again 25 years later.
Currentenglandbossgareth Southgate memorably missed a penalty as Germany won at Wembley en route to lifting the trophy.
Now Southgate will be aiming to mastermind victory over the same opponents a quarter of a century later, with England and Germany meeting in the round of 16 at Euro 2020 on Tuesday.
Most of the 26-man squad are not old enough to recall the events of 26 June, 1996 and Henderson said the game has not been mentioned since Germany progressed into the knockout stages on Wednesday evening.
"No, we haven't spoke about it and I'm not sure if we will either," he said.
"I think a lot of talk will be on penalties but for us, being in a penalty shoot-out not so long ago [against Colombia in the 2018 World Cup] and we practice penalties all the time, it's just part and parcel of football now. In tournaments especially."
Henderson played the second half of England's Group D win over the Czech Republic on Tuesday night, a result which saw them progress as group winners.
The Liverpool skipper had been on the sidelines as he recovered from groin surgery but is now keen to see off Germany and reach the quarterfinals.
"It would mean everything to us to get into the next round of the tournament," he said. "To beat Germany as well is special because it's always a big game. It would mean everything as a squad to be able to progress.
"We'll look forward to the game and all we can do is give absolutely everything we've got on Tuesday and hopefully that's enough to win.
"It's exciting. It's a huge game and one we'll be looking forward to. We knew whatever team we faced would be a big challenge and Germany will certainly be that. We need to
prepare well and give everything against them."
Germany won just once in Group F, finishing second behind France to set up
a Wembley date next week. Despite finishing with just four points and scraping a 2-2 draw against Hungary on Wednesday, Henderson still believes
Joachim Low's side pose a tough challenge.
"They're still a very good side - look at the players," he added. "They've got quality all over the
pitch. In games like this it's not about form, it's about who's better on the night and puts a performance in.
"Weneedtomakesureweare 100 per cent ready and I'm sure we will be. That's what you try and do every game. Focus on what you can control. Nothing needs to change in that sense. It's a big game and a lot of players thrive off big games. Hopefully we can handle it well."
England striker Raheem Sterling echoed Henderson’s sentiments, admitting they will need a “big performance” to progress.
"I think in this tournament you need these challenges,” said the Manchester City striker. “We need now to go against Germany and we need a big performance.
"If we're going to win this tournament, if you're going to be in with a shout, you've got to put in these big performances against the big sides.
"I don't really get caught up into the rivalries at all. The only thing you can do is be here now and present."