Euro 2012: 5 Classic England-Sweden Matches That Define the Rivalry

It may not ignite the national pride like matches against France, Germany or Argentina, but England versus Sweden is a rivalry full of intriguing history.

The two countries play similar styles of football and share a determined identity, which often expresses itself on the football pitch.  

England's current steward, Roy Hodgson, began his managerial career in 1976 with Swedish club Halmstad, whom he took to the league title twice in five years. Hodgson also coached Malmo to five consecutive league titles when he took over there in 1985, earning a permanent spot in the hearts of their fans as well as "Roy's Horna," a permanent section in the club's new stadium.

England were, of course, once managed by Swede Sven-Goran Erikssen from 2001-2006. 

England's dubious record against Sweden lingers as a perplexing stain on the national record.  Given that England has entered the tournament with less than its full compliment of players due to injuries, has been under the tutelage of a new manager for only a month and its best player is still serving suspension, it seems appropriately cruel to toss historical futility against one of their group opponents into the mix as well.  

Before a friendly win at Wembley this past November, England was winless against the Scandinavians in 43 years.  In seven competitive fixtures the English are winless against the Swedes. They've met twice in the group stages of World Cups (2002 & 2006) and once in European qualifying for the global tournament.  As well as being grouped together at the finals of a European championships (1992), they were group foes in qualifying for the 2000 edition of the tournament.

The end result: Five draws and two losses for England.  

Let's take a look back at some of these classic encounters between Friday's Group D opponents.

Umbro Cup 1995

June 8th, 1995

Leeds, England

Sweden 3- England 3

Viewed as something of a warm up match for England's hosting duties for Euro 1996, the "Umbro Cup" was a friendly match between the two played at Leeds' Elland Road ground.

Teddy Sheringham scored his first international goal for the Three Lions to cut the two goal Swedish advantage in half just before halftime.

However just after the break, Kennet Andersson scored Sweden's third,  an improvisational volley/chip over Tim Flowers, England's number two keeper at the time, from just outside the box.  

But in the final minutes, first David Platt and then Darren Anderton knotted things for good at three. Anderton's rocket shot in the 90th minute ricocheted off both of Thomas Ravelli's posts before bouncing into the net, capping the thrilling affair in true style.

It may have just been a friendly but the signs of the coming successful run at Euro '96 were there. Sheringham would score a brace in the tournament against a strong Dutch side. Alan Shearer finished as Euro '96's leading scorer with five goals to his credit.  Although the English were undone by penalties in the semifinals, the home side was widely cheered by the nation's fans.

1992 European Championships

June 17th, 1992

Stockholm, Sweden

Sweden 2- England 1

This time Sweden were the hosts and this time the game counted for a lot more than bragging rights.

Needing a win in their final game to advance out of a group that also included France and Denmark, David Platt scored an early goal to raise English hopes.

But Sweden clawed back through slick passing sequences and constant running that earned the praise and attention of many beyond the boundaries of the Rasunda Stadium.

Tomas Brolin, who went on to ply his trade at Leeds United in the mid-1990's, scored the decisive goal in the 82nd minute.  The loss dropped England to last place in the group and out of the tournament.

It was also the final international appearance in an England shirt for Gary Lineker, who was substituted for Alan Smith in the 62nd minute.  Lineker's international career ended after 80 international games for the Three Lions and 48 goals, one shy of Bobby Charlton's all-time mark.

Sweden topped the group and went on to make the semifinals on home soil.  Two years later as a clearly classy international side, the Swedes would finish third at the 1994 World Cup.

2002 World Cup

June 2nd, 2002

Saitama, Japan

Sweden 1- England 1

England and Sweden were once again drawn into a "group of death" at the 2002 World Cup alongside Argentina and Nigeria.

They split the points from their first group game, with Sol Campbell scoring the opener from a corner kick before Niclas Alexandersson equalized in the second half.

Both teams would advance to the second round.  In their next game, a game English fans will likely never forget, David Beckham's penalty take in Sapporo made the difference against the hated Argentines.

The Swedes then played Argentina to a 1-1 draw in the final group game and both Argentina and Nigeria were flying home early from the Far East.

1989 World Cup Qualifier

September 6th, 1989

Stockholm, Sweden

Sweden 0- England 0

This one was as riveting as nil-nil draws can get.  Both squads qualified for the 1990 World Cup in Italy out of this group, with the Swedes ending the phase in first place.

The Stockholm leg was a tense encounter late in the qualification process with a bevy of scoring chances for both teams.  More than anything else, the match became the backdrop for one of the more iconic images in English football.

After colliding with a Swedish player early in the match, Terry Butcher's forehead wound was stitched up haphazardly on the sideline.  Playing in the central defense, Butcher continued to clear balls with his head and play aggressively to preserve the clean sheet, with the makeshift bandages doing little to stem the flow of blood.

He bled so profusely that his once perfectly white England shirt and shorts were covered red by the game's end.  He became a principal symbol of the fighting character of a side that would end up reaching the semifinals of Italia '90 only to go down on penalties in Turin to the eventual champions, Germany.

2006 World Cup

June 20th, 2006

Cologne, Germany

Sweden 2- England 2

This was a thrilling encounter that few will forget.  The most memorable moment was Joe Cole's stunning strike into the upper right hand corner in the first half.

I'm not sure where Cole's goal ranks among England's best strikes, but there can't be many much higher on a scale of difficulty.  A headed clear from the Swedish area only went as far as Cole, who was situated a few yards beyond the box.  With the calmness of a Tibetan monk, Cole controlled a high bounce with his chest to bring it down and strike in one motion.  From there the ball embarked on a curling, dipping trajectory that seemingly arrived minutes later between Andreas Isaksson's outstretched hand and the upper right hand corner.

The last five minutes was end-to-end stuff with both teams scoring to share the spoils. 

Both teams advanced from the group, England first and Sweden second, despite being held to a 0-0 draw to tiny Trinidad & Tobago in their first group game.

There are players from that match in Cologne six years ago who are still feature on their respective rosters at Euro 2012. Among those with first hand memories of that game on the eve of their Kiev encounter are Isaksson, Olof Mellberg, Kim Kallstrom, Christian Wilhemsson and Johan Elmander for Sweden and John Terry, Ashley Cole and Steven Gerrard for England.