- England failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup after a defeat to the The Netherlands
- Graham Taylor resigned as Three Lions manager shortly after the controversial loss
- Listen to It’s all about to begin! EUROS DAILY: How England is on the cusp of immortality
English fans see their semi-final victory over the Netherlands as revenge for former Three Lions manager Graham Taylor.
Gareth Southgate’s side reached the final of Euro 2024 in Berlin in spectacular fashion on Sunday, after Ollie Watkins secured victory in the 90th minute. Earlier, Harry Kane cancelled out a first-half goal from Xavi Simons.
It was the third consecutive knockout match at the tournament that England won after a dramatic encounter. The Three Lions defeated Slovakia in extra time in the round of 16, before beating Switzerland on penalties in the quarter-finals.
Former England manager Taylor, who tragically passed away in 2017, enjoyed a hugely successful managerial career with clubs including Watford, Aston Villa and Lincoln City.
However, he struggled as manager of the Three Lions, with Taylor resigning in 1993 after failing to lead the national team to the 1994 World Cup.
English fans claim their win over the Netherlands was an act of revenge for Graham Taylor
Taylor enjoyed a successful coaching career, but resigned as England manager after a controversial loss to the Netherlands which saw the Three Lions fail to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.
Ronald Koeman was only shown a yellow card despite dragging down David Platt in goal, before the current Netherlands manager opened the scoring as the Netherlands won 2-0.
That was after England lost an important qualifying match against the Netherlands, which happened after the referee had made several criticisms.
One of them was current Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman, a player from that era who somehow managed to avoid a red card despite pulling down David Platt when he was in goal.
Koeman then opened the scoring with a free kick, after which Dennis Bergkamp made it 2-0 despite controlling the ball with his arm.
Taylor flew into a rage as he yelled at the referees on the sidelines, knowing his fate would soon be sealed.
As serialised in the documentary ‘An Impossible Job’, he had told the fourth official: ‘Look, at the end of the day I’m going to get the sack,’ before adding to the referee: ‘I’m just saying to your colleague, the referee gave me the sack. Thank him very much for that, will you?’
And after England’s dramatic victory on Wednesday, which came after the Three Lions were awarded a controversial penalty when Denzel Dumfries was deemed to have fouled Kane, fans were quick to praise the hugely popular Taylor – all the more relevant as Villa star Watkins scored the winning goal.
One supporter said: ‘I think Graham Taylor is having a glass of wine somewhere and saying revenge is a dish best served cold.’
Another added: ‘Thinking of Graham Taylor tonight. A warm, flawed man who deserves to be immortalised in legend. As you sow, so shall you reap.’
“That was for Graham Taylor,” wrote another, while another fan said: “I hope Graham Taylor looks at the result and thinks ‘Do I like this?’”
English fans praised the former Three Lions manager, claiming Wednesday’s win was for him
Meanwhile, others joined in the vengeance as another supporter joked: ‘Never a penalty. But Koeman on Platt was a red card. RIP Graham Taylor. Villa man scored the winner.’
‘They were better than us in the second half,’ said another. ‘Good. Remember Rotterdam 1993? How does it feel to be robbed, Koeman? That one’s for Graham Taylor.’
One final supporter spoke of the liberating experience of finally getting revenge for that fateful night 21 years ago, nodding to what became Taylor’s personal catchphrase: “Don’t I like that?”
‘Maybe I’m finally over Rotterdam 93,’ they said. ‘K is for Karma, K is for Koeman. Revenge at last. Graham Taylor… I hope you’re laughing now. I like that.’