History Of The European Championship: 1996

Euro '96's huge success owed a lot to the performances of the hosts England and the inventive play of surprise finalists the Czech Republic.

For England the competition re-established their position on the footballing map after their failure to qualify for the World Cup in the USA in 1994.

Having automatically qualified for the tournament, England's build-up to the Championship was good but, despite beating them at Wembley only months earlier, the Three Lions started with a rather disappointing 1-1 draw against Switzerland.

Alan Shearer, who hadn't scored for his country since September 1994, buried a fierce drive midway through the first half but after Stuart Pearce gave away a penalty, Terry Venables' side had to settle for a point.

England only took control of their own destiny with a 2-0 win over Scotland.

Alan Shearer converted Gary Neville's right-wing cross but the game's pivotal moment came when David Seaman saved Gary McAllister's penalty.

From their own penalty area, England broke away and Tottenham midfielder Darren Anderton fed Paul Gascoigne, who chipped the ball over Colin Hendry before driving a right-footed volley past his rangers teammate Andy Goram.

Gascoigne's inspired form continued into the next game against Holland, who had followed up on their opening 0-0 draw against Scotland with a two goal win over the Swiss.

On an unforgettable night, England swept the Dutch aside with a display rarely matched in their footballing history. Shearer and Teddy Sheringham both scored twice though Patrick Kluivert's second-half consolation was key as it kept Holland in the competition at the expense of the Scots.

France and Spain came through Group B thanks to crucial wins against Bulgaria and Romania respectively.