The Top 10 England Games of the Decade

England, under six different managers, including two caretakers, since the turn of the century, have lurched from the sublime to the ridiculous as their fortunes have fallen and risen.

From the failure at Euro 2000 to the recent record-breaking World Cup Qualifying campaign, here is a look at the best England games of the last ten years.

No 10: Germany 0-1 England, Stade du Pays de Charleroi, Jun. 17, 2000

Kevin Keegan’s finest hour as England manager saw England beat their arch-rivals for the first time in a competitive fixture since that day in 1966.

A flying header from captain Alan Shearer from a David Beckham delivery was enough to give the Three Lions the points which put them back on track in the group stage having lost their opening game 3-2 to Portugal, despite taking a two goal lead.

Carsten Jancker and Mehmet Scholl missed good opportunities to draw the Germans level, before Seaman saved well with his legs at close range to deny Ulf Kirsten.

England held on for an overdue win but would fail to reach the knockout stages after falling 3-2 to Romania in the decisive final group game.

Fast forward four months and Germany would have their revenge, winning the last ever game at the original Wembley Stadium before its demolition. The result prompted Keegan to resign from his position after just eighteen matches in charge.

No 9: Turkey 0-0 England, Sükru Saracoglu, Oct. 11, 2003

England headed to Istanbul for the final game of their qualifying campaign for Euro 2004 standing just one point ahead of their sole rivals, Turkey. Defeat would have sent Sven Goran Eriksson’s team into the lottery of the play-offs whereas a point would see them safely through as group winners and automatic qualifiers.

Much of the build-up was dedicated to the news of Rio Ferdinand being excluded from the traveling squad due to an investigation into his failure to attend a routine drugs test. Club teammate and international colleague, Gary Neville, was amongst the most outspoken in his criticism of the decision as the players considered strike action.

Nonetheless, the game went ahead and England performed bravely in front of a hostile home crowd and should have won the game when Steven Gerrard was sliced down on 37 minutes after a jinking run into the box. David Beckham, however, slipped as he ran up to take the penalty and ballooned the ball high over the crossbar, much to Alpay's delight (see picture).

However, England’s defence held firm to secure their place in Portugal, in a game and performance which more then echoed the 0-0 draw in Italy obtained exactly six years previously.

No 8: France 2-1 England, Estadio da Luz, Jun. 13, 2004

England kicked off their Euro 2004 campaign against current holders France in the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. The Three Lions got off to the best possible start when, just before half-time, Frank Lampard headed in to the top corner at the near post from David Beckham’s free-kick from the right.

With fifteen minutes to go, England were afforded the best possible chance to put the game to bed when a penalty was awarded for Mikael Silvestre’s desperate lunge on Wayne Rooney after the teenager had sped into the box on a run from his own half.

However, David Beckham was once more denied from the spot as former Manchester United teammate Fabien Barthez lept to his right to claw away the England captain’s effort.

The Three Lions were then made to pay the ultimate price in injury time. First Emile Heskey conceded a needless free-kick on the edge of the penalty area, one which Zinedine Zidane imperiously swung into the right-hand corner of the goal, completely wrong-footing the stationary David James.

Then, three minutes into added time, Steven Gerrard played a suicidal back-pass straight into the path of Thierry Henry who easily rounded James, only to be brought down as the goalkeeper slid out. Zidane expertly dispatched the penalty kick into the same right-hand corner of the net as France got off to a winning start while England were left wondering what might have been.

No 7: Portugal 2-2 England, (6-5 on penalties), Jose Alvalade, Jun. 24, 2004

England recovered from their opening defeat to France with impressive wins over Switzerland and Croatia to set up a mouth-watering quarter-final match with the hosts in Lisbon.

England got off to a super quick start when Michael Owen opened to scoring with a flick past Ricardo in just the third minute for his first goal of the tournament.

However, the home side responded well and fired several warning shots towards England’s goal. The visitor's chances were then dealt a major blow when teenage talisman Wayne Rooney was forced off midway through the first half with a broken metatarsal.

Portugal’s pressure eventually paid when substitute Helder Postiga, formerly of Tottenham, headed a late equaliser from Simao’s cross.

The match looked destined for extra time but not before England thought they’d won it when Sol Campbell bundled in a Beckham free-kick after Owen had struck the bar. However, the goal was disallowed after the referee adjudged John Terry to have fouled the goalkeeper.

Both teams appeared tired in extra time but Portugal continued to have the better of the chances and finally took the lead when Rui Costa fired a rocket in off the crossbar with just ten minutes left on the clock.

Yet, England were not finished and responded when Frank Lampard controlled and swiveled to lash in an equaliser from a Terry knockdown of a Beckham corner to send the match to penalties.

David Beckham missed the first for England, blaming the state of the pitch as his effort soared over the crossbar. Rui Costa’s miss sent it to sudden death where Darius Vassell’s weak effort was saved by Ricardo, who stepped up himself to blast home the winner and send the hosts into the semi-finals, condemning England to another penalty shoot-out heartache.

No 6: Argentina 2-3 England, Stade de Geneve, Nov. 12, 2005

The best England friendly of recent memory, and possibly of all time, pitted the Three Lions against old rivals Argentina in the neutral setting of Geneva.

Michael Owen and Hernan Crespo had early efforts ruled out in a fast-paced opening as Paul Robinson in the England goal also blocked well from Carlos Tevez.

On the half-hour Wayne Rooney hit the post, but soon afterwards Argentina were in front as Crespo stabbed home across from the right after Wayne Bridge was out-paced.

England leveled five minutes later when Rooney prodded home after running onto a Beckham flick-on in the box and the action didn’t let up after the break as Argentina soon re-took the lead when Juan Roman Riquelme’s free-kick was headed across goal and in by a completely un-marked Walter Samuel at the back post.

Argentinian goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri did well to deny Beckham and then Owen as England pushed for a second equaliser, Sven Goran Eriksson eventually threw on Peter Crouch to join Owen and Rooney up front.

The gamble paid off when Steven Gerrard, now at right-back, whipped in a super cross which Owen stole in at the far post to head in with just four minutes to play.

It got better from there for the Three Lions when, in the very last minute, Joe Cole swung in a cross from the left which Owen rose to power into the net to gain England a great win over their bitter rivals.

No 5: England 2-3 Croatia, Wembley, Nov. 21

Israel’s heroics against Russia meant that Steve McClaren’s side only needed a point against Slaven Bilic’s side who had already booked their place at Euro 2008.

The heavens opened at Wembley as McClaren’s was forced to name a make-shift eleven after injuries and suspensions robbed him of first choice regulars Paul Robinson, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Ashley Cole, and Wayne Rooney. Michael Owen was also missing having fired England to victory over Russia in a vital qualifier two months earlier.

Scott Carson was handed his full debut, picked ahead of David James, and was at fault for the opening goal as he shovelled a long-range Niko Kranjcar effort into the net behind him after just eight minutes.

Only a few minutes later and an incisive Croatian counter-attack ended with Ivica Olic, played onside by Shaun Wright-Phillips, round Carson before sliding into the empty net.

Time after time England’s shaky backline were exposed by the running power of lone striker Eduardo, but McClaren acted decisively at half-time, hauling off Garth Barry and Wright-Phillips for Jermain Defoe and David Beckham as the home side switched to a straight 4-4-2 formation.

The move paid dividends as England were awarded a penalty, with Defoe softly adjudged to have been pulled back. Frank Lampard slammed the ball home from the spot.

Midway through the second-half and England were level and once more on track for qualification as Beckham crossed expertly from the right for Crouch to pull the ball down between two defenders and rifle into the net.

By this time McClaren’s umbrella had made its appearance on the touchline and the rain-sheltering apparatus became infamous when, with thirteen minutes left on the clock, Croatia substitute Mladen Petric shot from the edge of the box across Carson into the far corner of the net.

McClaren was defiant in defeat but was sacked the next day. Croatia went on to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2008.

No 4: Argentina 0-1 England, Sapporo Dome, Jun. 7, 2002

England’s second game of the 2002 World Cup pitted them against old rivals Argentina in a rematch of the last-16 clash in St Etienne four years previously.

The match was the key game of the quickly christened Group of Death, with Argentina having beaten Nigeria in their opening game whilst England drew with Sweden.

England started well, enjoying a large amount of possession which almost paid off when, after 24 minutes, Michael Owen raced onto a through ball from Nicky Butt only to see his shot come back off the post.

However, one minute before halftime and England did take the lead when Michael Owen, in an echo of the clash in 1998, was brought down when darting into the Argentinian penalty area.

David Beckham, the villian of the piece after his red card four years earlier, rammed the penalty straight down the middle of the goal to finally exorcise his demons.

Paul Scholes and substitute Teddy Sheringham had good shots saved early in the second half before the tide turned Argentina’s way around the hour mark as the South Americans started to dominate possession and, increasingly, the territory.

Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell soaked up wave after wave of Argentinian attack and David Seaman saved superbly from a point-blank Mauricio Pochettino header and England hung on, albeit increasingly desperately, for a famous win which would eventually see them progress from the group stage with Sweden, sending Argentina, one of the pre-tournament favourites, home at the first hurdle.

No 3: Croatia 1-4 England Maksimir Stadium, Sep. 10, 2008

Fabio Capello took his side back to Zagreb in only his second competitive game in charge, just four days after an extremely unconvincing 2-0 win over Andorra in Barcelona.

Croatia had beaten England twice in qualifying for Euro 2008, denying the Three Lions a place in Austria and Switzerland and fans and pundits alike were apprehensive about an immediate return to the Croatian capital for World Cup Qualifying, a city in which Croatia had never previously lost a competitive game.

Such fear turned out to be entirely misplaced as England produced their most inspired away performance for many a year to leave the home side and their proud record in tatters.

Theo Walcott, starting only his second game for his country, displayed clinical finishing to score a hat-trick, becoming the youngest player to ever do so for England in the process.

Wayne Rooney added further gloss to the scoreline, which could have been worse after Robert Kovac saw red for an ugly elbow on Joe Cole which left the England man needing over a dozen stitches.

Fabio Capello had well and truly announced himself as England manager.

No 2: England 2-2 Greece, Old Trafford, Oct. 6, 2001

England entered their final match of World Cup Qualifying needing a win over Greece, or at least to match Germany’s result against Finland, to guarantee their place in Japan and South Korea.

Sven Goran Eriksson had picked up the pieces of a disatrous start to qualifying under Kevin Keegan and caretaker boss Howard Wilkinson which had left England with only one point from their first two games.

Five consecutive wins, however, and England were almost there…but not before one last twist in the tale.

Angelos Charisteas opened the scoring ten minutes before the break, stunning the Old Trafford crowd into silence as England approached the match in a curiously tentative manner.

England trailed for just over half an hour before Teddy Sheringham, freshly on as a substitute scored with his very first touch, flicking home a header from a freekick from England’s left.

Yet, England were level for barely a minute as Demis Nikolaidis struck to restore the Greek lead and leave England with a mountain to climb with only twenty minutes left on the clock.

Fast forward to injury-time and England still trailed…until David Beckham curled a last-gasp free-kick into the Greek net in front of the Stretford End to secure England a point that their performance scarcely deserved.

The England captain had failed with half a dozen free-kick attempts earlier in the game but got it right when it mattered the most to gift England a point which, when coupled with Germany’s surprising 0-0 draw at home to Finland, was enough to secure their place at the World Cup.

Beckham finally found redemption after enduring severe personal criticism for this red card against Argentina three years earlier as he produced arguably the best ever individual performance of his career to propell England almost single-handedly back to world football’s greatest stage.

No 1: Germany 1-5 England, Olympiastadion, Sep. 1, 2001

England, now under Sven Goran Eriksson, had resurrected their World Cup Qualifying campaign with three consecutive wins under the Swede but headed to Munich trailing the hosts by six points, albeit with a game in hand knowing only a win would suffice if they were to top the group and avoid the play-offs.

Things looked bleak for England early on though as Carsten Jancker fired past David Seaman after just six minutes.

Yet, the home lead lasted just six minutes itself as England sprung the German offside trap pushing out from a freekick as Nicky Barmby headed down for Michael Owen to fire into an empty net to draw the Three Lions level.

David Seaman then produced a brilliant one-handed stop to deny Joerg Boehme before Sebastian Deisler missed a great opportunity when completely unmarked.

Seconds before halftime and England took the lead after David Beckham's right-wing cross was headed down by Rio Ferdinand on the egde of the box to Steven Gerrard who crashed the ball into the bottom corner of Oliver Kahn's goal from 30 yards out for his first ever international goal.

Just two minutes after the restart and England extended their lead as Michael Owen latched onto an Emile Heskey knock-down from a Beckham cross to fire past Kahn who couldn't keep the shot out at his near post.

Twenty minutes later and Owen completed his hat-trick beating Kahn again with ease after he was played through by Steven Gerrard who robbed Michael Ballack of possession in his own half.

Eight minutes later and Emile Heskey rounded one of the most memorable England performances of all time as he slotted the ball past the exposed Kahn after being played through by Paul Scholes, inflicting only Germany's second ever home defeat in World Cup Qualifiers.