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  "path": "/2026/05/23/englands-60-years-hurt-five-heartbreaking-world-cup-moments-still-sting-28350387/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-23T07:00:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "Football",
    "Sport",
    "Diego Maradona",
    "England men's football team",
    "Frank Lampard",
    "Harry Kane",
    "Paul Gascoigne",
    "World Cup",
    "England",
    "class of 1966",
    "Sign up now",
    "Gary Lineker",
    "Kieran Trippier",
    "Raheem Sterling",
    "Qatar",
    "Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source"
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  "textContent": "England have endured their fair share of recent World Cup misery (Picture: Getty)\n\nEngland head to North America this summer with just one objective – to follow in the footsteps of the class of 1966 and win the World Cup.\n\nThe victory over West Germany remains the most iconic moment in English football history, with the sight of Bobby Moore hoisting the Jules Rimet trophy high into the Wembley sky one of the enduring images of our national sport.\n\nSince then, 14 tournaments have come and gone, and all of them have ended the same way for England – with failure.\n\nThe long and painful wait to add a second star to the Three Lions’ white shirt has now rolled over into its 60th year, with their pursuit to return to the top of the footballing world characterised by controversial refereeing decisions, penalty shootout disaster and a squandered golden generation.\n\n##  Love football?\n\nOur seven-day guide to the World Cup is live. 48 teams, 104 games, 1104 players – we've got everything you need to know. Sign up now.\n\nAnd whilst every England World Cup exit is storied with its own tales of woe and heartbreak, it’s true that certain moments have lingered painfully in the memory more than others.\n\n## Mexico 1986 – Maradona’s divine intervention\n\nEngland’s quarter-final against Argentina at Mexico City’s iconic Estadio Azteca is a tale of both deceit and genius.\n\nWith the score still locked at 0-0 shortly after the start of the second half, a looping ball heading towards the England penalty area was met by Diego Maradona’s hand, which helped nudge it past the oncoming Peter Shilton and into the empty net.\n\nAfter the game, the legendary Argentine famously said it was scored ‘a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God.’\n\nMaradona was England’s nemesis in Mexico (Picture: Getty)\n\nWhilst Maradona’s first goal against England has a place in infamy, his second showcased the full extent of his ability. Dubbed the ‘Goal of the Century,’ Maradona picked the ball up in his own half and carried it 50 yards up the pitch before effortlessly rounding Shilton to double Argentina’s lead.\n\nGary Lineker pulled a goal back ten minutes before the full-time whistle but the damage at the Azteca had long since been done that afternoon.\n\n## Italy 1990 – Gazza’s tears\n\nEngland scraped into the last four of Italia 90 having won only one of their group games, before requiring extra-time in both their Round of 16 and quarter-final games against Belgium and Cameroon.\n\nThe Three Lions fell behind in their semi-final encounter with West Germany before levelling the score late on through Lineker. After extra-time failed to separate the two sides, penalties were required to produce a winner.\n\nAfter scoring their first three spot kicks, England’s World Cup dream came to a devastating end when Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle failed with their efforts from six yards.\n\nEmotions ran high in Turin (Picture: Getty)\n\nThe emotional scars seemed to have a long-lasting effect on English football, with the Three Lions going on to lose five of their next six penalty shootouts in major tournaments.\n\nBut perhaps the most memorable image of that fateful night in Turin is of a crestfallen Paul Gascoigne, who broke down in tears after the realisation that his yellow card picked up in extra-time would have ruled him out of the final, had the events of the succeeding half an hour or so unfolded differently.\n\n## South Africa 2010 – Lampard’s ghost goal\n\nEngland turned up to their Round of 16 clash against Germany in Bloemfontein knowing a drastic improvement on their group stage performances would be required if they were to stand any chance of progressing past their great rivals.\n\nFabio Capello’s men made hard work of what appeared to be a straightforward group on paper, slumping to disappointing draws against USA and Algeria in their opening games before securing qualification to the knockouts with victory over Slovenia in their third match.\n\nFinishing top of their group would have seen England placed on the seemingly easier side of the draw, with Ghana and Uruguay awaiting in the Round of 16 and quarter-finals respectively. Instead, a second-place finish set up a crunch clash with Germany.\n\nEngland suffered yet more heartbreak against Germany (Picture: Getty)\n\nThe Three Lions were 2-0 down inside half an hour but were given a lifeline when Matthew Upson headed home in the 37th minute. England’s tails were suddenly up and they sensed an equaliser – which they got just 53 seconds later.\n\nExcept, they didn’t. TV replays confirmed that Frank Lampard’s strike had clearly bounced over the line. A young Manuel Neuer – remember the name – scooped up the ball and continued like nothing had happened. An incandescent England never recovered from that moment and ultimately slipped to a 4-1 defeat.\n\nIn truth, England were unlikely to win that tournament – the generational Spanish side were the worthy champions – but the manner of the defeat and the fact it represented the swansong for the failed golden generation make it one of the side’s toughest World Cup exits.\n\nPOLL\n\nPoll\n\n### Will England's 60 years of hurt end this summer?\n\n  * Yes - football is coming homeCheck\n\n  * No - the wait will go onCheck\n\n\n\n\n## Russia 2018 – Misery in Moscow\n\nThe year when football was meant to come home. The English public fell back in love with their football team again following on from the calamitous showings at the World Cup 2014 and Euro 2016.\n\nEngland’s second-place finish in their group saw them on the favourable side of the draw, with Colombia and Sweden duly dispatched in the knockouts.\n\nEngland, then, were into the semi-finals of a World Cup for the first-time since 1990, with Croatia standing between them and a spot in the final.\n\nEngland were one game away from the final – again (Picture: Getty)\n\nThe match was just five minutes old when Kieran Trippier curled home a wonderful free-kick to hand the men in white a dream start.\n\nIt was all downhill from there, though, with an equaliser from Ivan Perisic in normal time followed by a winner from Mario Mandzukic in extra-time. England players and fans looked hauntingly into the Moscow night, knowing their first final since 1966 had slipped through their fingers.\n\nIf only Harry Kane had squared it to Raheem Sterling when England were 1-0 up…\n\n## Qatar 2022 – Kane fluffs his lines\n\nThe pain from four years ago stems from the fact that England have rarely played better at a World Cup than the performances they produced in Qatar.\n\nHaving reached the European Championship final the previous year, Gareth Southgate’s men lived up to their pre-tournament billing with dominant wins over Iran (6-2), Wales (3-0) and Senegal (3-0) in three of their first four games.\n\nThis set up a mouthwatering showdown with Didier Deschamps’ wily French side – defending champions at the time – in the quarter-finals.\n\nKane’s agony was clear (Picture: Getty)\n\nHaving fallen behind to an impressive Aurelien Tchouameni goal in the first-half, England restored parity in the second courtesy of a Kane penalty.\n\nFrance retook the lead through Olivier Giroud in the 78th minute, only for England to then be awarded another penalty six minutes later. Kane stepped up once more, only this time, his effort agonisingly missed the target. The Bayern Munich star has since called it the lowest moment of his career.\n\nThe disappointment is made all the more worse given Morocco would have awaited in the semi-finals – who England would have been quietly confident about beating.\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "England’s 60 years of hurt: Five heartbreaking World Cup moments that still sting"
}