The footballing sadist’s quiz
Heartbreak lingers long in the memory of every England fan. Every two years – as long as they fucking qualify – we start to believe in the new crop of players. We hypothesise about who should start in which position, creating these fantastical situations in our minds that never, ever come true. And then we have our hearts shattered in the most brutal way possible, often slowly, picked apart piece by piece, in a legal torture method commonly known as a penalty shoot-out.
Obviously the 2018 World Cup was a bit different. We made it to our first semi-final since 1990, but we still had our hopes and dreams crushed – destroyed even – in extra-time due to two momentary lapses in concentration. Ditto 2020 (2021).
It’s safe to say we’ve suffered more than we’ve celebrated as England fans. But what I want to know is: how well do you remember these heartbreaks? More specifically: can you name the starting XI from every knockout stage loss from 2002 to 2021? (I’ve excluded 2014 because, disgracefully, England were sent packing after just two group games.)
Do you remember who started on the left against Brazil when Ronaldinho score that goal? Do you know which goalkeeper took over from Rob Green after that howler in the 2010 World Cup? Who played off the left in Euro 2012?
Put your knowledge to the test, and let us know how you get on. Hopefully I won’t have to update this quiz for a good few years.
