The Sixty Six · https://thesixtysix.news/history/classic-encounter-when-rooney-lit-up-the-euros-184078
Classic Encounter: When Rooney lit up the Euros
10.11.26, 08:00 Updated 09.11.26, 20:04
Needing a win to guarantee passage to the quarter-finals, England put Croatia to the sword and put Wayne Rooney on centre stage in the 2004 European Championships.
Having lost a heartbreaker in injury time to France, England swept aside Switzerland in their second game, 3-0, with Rooney grabbing two goals. This time the stakes were higher with a winner-takes-all game. A draw would’ve been good enough, but a win would make certain passage and a date with Portugal in the last eight.
It didn’t look good early on as Croatia took the lead after just six minutes, when Niko Kovac scored from close range, reacting quickest to some sloppy defending. It woke England up, and they started to assert themselves. David James in goal had to be alert on occasion, before they levelled through Paul Scholes just five minutes before the break; it was his turn to be quick in the six-yard box to stab home.
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Gary Jordan
WriterAuthor of Out of the Shadows: The Story of the 1982 World Cup Team. A long-time observer of England, he brings historical perspective and an enduring optimism shaped by decades following the national side.