The night of our lives.. Three Lions heroes on one unforgettable match

PAUL INCE “We were outstanding as a team. It was the best performance in many, many years. It was one of those where everything just clicked. Every time we had a shot it looked like we’d score. It could have been more.” STEVE MCMANAMAN “I’ve always thought the Holland game was the best example of an overwhelming tactical victory. Terry Venables was confident he had worked out a way of beating a Dutch team of real talent. “He was right... everything came off. I had played on the right before that game, getting up and down for 90 minutes, but I was pushed further up with me as a sort of right-sided forward, alongside Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham up front, to put pressure on them. “They were a team of incredible talents, really hyped up with Seedorf, Davids, Kluivert, Overmars, Bergkamp, the De Boers, but we went into the ga game thinking we were going to win.” GARETH SOUTHGATE “The Holland game was when everything came together – it was an incredible feeling, Wembley, the crowd, we weren’t even aware that (the Kluivert goal) knocked Scotland out of Euro 96 until after the game.” ALAN SHEARER “The euphoria really kicked in after we beat the Dutch 4-1 – probably my favourite memory of Euro 96. The best performance by an England team I’d ever played in. “It was the biggest and best atmosphere I experienced in an England shirt – my strike partner Teddy Sheringham and I were both substituted with about 15 minutes to go, but I reckon we could have both had a hat-trick if we’d stayed on.” GARY NEVILLE “That 4–1 victory is one of only a handful of England games when we looked a higher class than the opposition. Under Terry, you’d go out with a picture in your mind of how the game should unfold. And more often than not, and definitely in that game, it happened as he had anticipated. “He’d been working for months on the plans. We pushed (the full-backs) high up the field, pressing Holland right back on their flanks. One of the midfield players would drop, so we wouldn’t be exposed defensively, and with one tweak, we had control.” PAUL GASCOIGNE “Before we played Holland, Terry Venables gave us the most brilliant team talk. He made it clear this was going to be one of the biggest games in any of our lives.” TEDDY SHERINGHAM “My first goal was a header and the second was a follow-up after a shot had been saved. I was not known for my speed, so it was good to be quick off my mark and anticipate the rebound. To say you played for England in a major competition, scored two goals, and were named man of the match – combined with winning in style – it doesn’t get better than that.” TONY ADAMS “Every player left that team meeting convinced he was better than his counterpart and that the Dutch were simply there for the taking. “We won that match 4-1 and played football on another level, with Terry Venables’ coaching instrumental in that. People will always remember that goal — Gazza to Teddy Sheringham to Alan Shearer. “The Dutch did have some chances early on. There was no way we were going to lose to them. We annihilated them, with one of the best England performances I have been party to. One of our great nights.” STUART S PEARCE “I played international football for 12 years and the best game I’ve ever been involved in was the Dutch game. It was sensational. Playing in England and showcasing that we could actually put a tournament on that would go extremely well was wonderful.” TERRY VENABLES “It still gives me the goose hpimples when you realise how much you can give back to your country. We thrashed them. That’s what we did.”