England 5-0 Greece (1994)

Terry Venables continues his encouraging start as England manager by steering them to a 5-0 friendly win over Greece at Wembley in May 1994. The Greeks are heading to the World Cup finals in USA while England will be staying at home but it is an easy win for the home side, on a night when 31-year-olds Kevin Richardson and Steve Bould are handed their first full caps and Peter Beardsley, 33, marks his return to the England side by scoring. Also on target are Darren Anderton, David Platt (2) and Alan Shearer.

[@edwarddavenport9881]

This was the first ever England match I attended. I remember being terrified every time England scored because these three big lads behind me kept leaping around and almost got crushed every time. After the 3rd I was like ‘please don’t score anymore goals’.

[@MrBergstrom]

Thanks for sharing this! I was at primary school when this game was played. I recorded it on Match Of The Day on VHS and kept playing it over and over haha this and Venables first game I'm charge against Denmark. The Denmark match was probably my first England game I remember watching. Those were the days lol Was this video transferred from a VHS recording? Reason I ask is cos of the wobbly line at the bottom, I have fondness for effects that appear like that haha Cheers for posting this :)

[@euanelliott3613]

Nice goal from Dazza, cool pen from Platt. Good to see Beardsley back in an England shirt. Great strike from Shearer.

[@nickycotton6137]

Platt you legend + Beardsley of course.. Scored & assisted their fair share.

[@philipritson8821]

Terry Venables' Christmas Tree!

[@Salvus967]

My dad told me about this game. I was born and raised in Canada, but he and my mom are from England. I had gone back to England with my dad when my Grand Father got sick, but did not go with him when he died, in the spring of 94, God rest his soul! My dad was back in England for the funeral and he happened to catch this game while there at his brother's house, for that purpose. I distinctly remember him describing how the England team, that did not qualify for the 94 WC, crushed the Greeks, who did qualify. It was ironic how pro and sharp the England team looked when they had nothing to lose.

[@gunnyakdo1653]

Salvus967 greece were on top in their wc qualification campaign,nice story you told

[@SuperTed19021]

Typical us, win handsomely when we don't have anything to play for like friendlies, choke when it really matters. If this was a qualifying game, it probably would have been different.

[@r4h4al]

If this was a Qualifying game we would have lost.

[@detomasopantera1966]

Yeah with Greece using their 3rd string gk for the game that literally is responsible for 3 of the goals and a Greek team that wasn't even trying.

[@AntonesPap]

Greece took matters more seriously in 2004. No one wanted to repeat the disaster of 1994. Also, Rehhagel and his players had greater international experience than the 1994 side. Crucially, Rehhagel was a more professional manager and a better tactician than Panagoulias.

[@MNAYMEN]

there were 24000 fans because this was soon after the dark days of Graham Taylor- who failed to qualify England for the upcoming World Cup.

[@r4h4al]

Good point.

[@joerlee454]

Derent Anderton the legend

[@thf3038]

Very underrated player

[@Salvus967]

Also, I love England's strip in this game! I love that red wine colour! I wish they would bring it back as an alternate.

[@peloquin1979]

+Salvus967 It's a bit like the one they had for '98 too, only the crest was in the middle. I liked the strips back in the 90s.

[@r4h4al]

Yeah it's a nice strip.

[@deanmadnut2614]

They were so more creative with the kits back then. Nowadays they are just so plain and boring.

[@TheRaveMusicArchive]

@@peloquin1979 I had that shirt. They used it in 1997 at the Umbro Cup too.

[@paulaphelan2318]

Keep an eye out. They tend to make similar styles every so many years. You might get your wish. Or you could try UK soccer shop on-line.

[@mohdnasri5282]

anderton was a good player actually...just unlucky with series of injury...- arsenal fan

[@r4h4al]

Yep, very unlucky with injuries.

[@thewomble1509]

@@r4h4al Rob Jones was the same. Very good player, more natural talent than Gary Neville but cursed by injuries.

[@pauldear6660]

I was at this game.

[@Cashback13]

Weird to think that just over 10 years later that Greece would be European Champions! They couldn't even get out of a Qualifying Group for Euro 1996 that contained Russia, Finland, San Marino, The Faroe Islands and Scotland!

[@JLPCaminero]

Russia and Scotland were way better than them. Not really a big failure.

[@alexparos2153]

@@JLPCaminero Scotland was not really better. You can see both matches between Greece and Scotland to have an opinion. The problem was the outside match with Finland .Russia and Scotland crushed Finland where we lost

[@seanbonella]

Rob Jones very very underrated

[@r4h4al]

Was he better than Neville?

[@Ernest_Thesiger]

2:25 Very nice. 8:13 Wow, less than 24,000 fans at an England game at Wembley. There would be about treble that amount of fans there these days.

[@Martin958]

I was there that night. My first football match. Most of us were hemmed into one area right opposite the Greek fans. There was a lot of sledging going on from both sides. Gary Pallister went past and winked at us. Terry Venables gave a very nasty stare and muttered some words.

[@pearljam619]

Do players shake hands to congratulate each other after scoring anymore?

[@seanbonella]

Merson probably drunk playing here

[@tombartram6842]

10 Englishmen in a title winning side. What?!

[@dazpearce2096]

Remember this game well - makes me wonder if England might have peaked and been on the downward curve by Euro 96.

[@r4h4al]

Nah I think they peaked at Euro 96 getting to the Semi-Finals.

[@r4h4al]

@Antonio Sapienza That's what I said Euro 96.

[@nickcockayne7880]

@@r4h4al even though the majority of the tournament they were awful with the exception of the Holland game?

[@user-bn6ex4lh9y]

Platt Likes Lampard

[@rosemaryfarell5264]

Remember it well was in year 8.lol

[@theoaristi53]

Greece is much much better now!!!

[@georgebats9796]

+theoaristi53 Oυτε καν, ακομη κι απο τοτε χειροτεροι ειμαστε.

[@AntonesPap]

No, we are not. The golden generation of 2004 is gone. So are Rehhagel and Santos. So are men with any sense of responsibility in the Greek FA.

[@seanbonella]

I think Shearer said Platty its yours. He bever took penos i believe if he won them

[@rc2869]

Nope Platt was senior player and captain at the time so was penalty taker. By time Euros came Ince and Gazza (who had got fittish) were midfield duo and Platt was squad player - he scored in both shoot outs in 1996

[@ultrakoichi]

This is the very first England game that I've ever watched. But none of the UK nations qualified. No England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. USA94 was boring as hell. Thanks to Turnip Taylor.

[@mpampisdamianidis1787]

Only Greece. ΜΙΑ ΖΩΗ ΕΛΛΑΔΑΡΑ.❤❤❤

[@user-bn6ex4lh9y]

England lacks, such player like Inse

[@hughiemacdonald148]

Greece only qualified for the world cup that year because Yugoslavia were excluded.

[@AntonesPap]

Not really. Greece actually won their group, leaving Russia behind.

[@hughiemacdonald148]

So why did they finish only 3rd in there qualifying group for Euro 96, behind Russia and Scotland?

[@AntonesPap]

@@hughiemacdonald148 By your line of reasoning, England should be stripped of 4th place in 1990, because they failed to qualify in 1994.

[@hughiemacdonald148]

1990 and 1994 were two different tournament's, 4 year's apart, with separate qualifying tournament's with finals held in two different countries (Italy and USA respectively)!

[@AntonesPap]

@@hughiemacdonald148 So were World Cup 1994 and Euro 1996, which you talked about.

[@cicero61]

THIS MATCH REMEMBER. ONE TEAM GOING UNTIL THE WORLD CUP IS THE MATCH OF ENGLAND WHO CAN NOT GATHER IN GREECE AND THE WORLD CUP .. TRABZON TURKIYE

[@joerlee454]

England win

[@peterpeterxxo]

Greece qualify for 1994 world cup and we don't, but we hammer them 5-0..typical.

[@r4h4al]

Shows England should have been at the World Cup really.

[@detomasopantera1966]

If this was a qualifying game it won't be 5-0....

[@AntonesPap]

@@r4h4al Greece were a woefully inexperienced and ill-prepared side then. I don't think Taylor's England deserved a place in the finals, though Venables' England might have.

[@redflag8970]

greece are not a powerhouse in world football an have punched above their weight whereas we always have punched well below.

[@JLPCaminero]

Well, put England in Greece's qualifying spot back then and they'd have gotten a ticket for the WC, even with Taylor as coach.

[@greek_football_tv7892]

ΝΑΙΙΙΙΙΙΙΙ ΝΑΙ ΡΕ ΕΛΛΑΔΑΡΑ ΕΤΣΙ!!!!ΠΑΛΥ 5ΑΝΤΑΡΑ ΦΑΓΑΜΕ

[@StratosIceman]

Πάλι.