Leeds United Bygones: Misery for '˜Big Nige' as England exit Euros

The excitement of a big tournament Summer never truly reaches these shores until England kick off their campaign, and when the first ball is kicked at 7pm, memories of failures past will fade and choruses of ‘it’s coming home’ sung out with genuine optimism.

It’s been 52 years of hurt for England fans, of course, and between hands of God, endless penalty heartache and Icelandic clapping, hurt it most certainly has.

None more so than a 100 miles an hour match-up with Romania 18 years ago this week, in which Leeds stopper Nigel Martyn picked the ball out of the net three times as Kevin Keegan’s Three Lions were dumped out of the European Championships.

The Cornishman had been drafted in as a late replacement for David Seaman, injured in the warm-up, and made a quality save two minutes in from an Adrian Ilie free-kick.

Watching England fans had been swept up in the euphoria of a dogged 1-0 win over Germany just a few days earlier, and faced with a largely unknown Romania side, many expected victory.

Unknown perhaps, but talented Romania certainly were. Despite the suspension of the legendary Gheorghe Hagi, the yellow-clad Eastern Europeans played fast-flowing, carefree and attacking football.

A young Christian Chivu gave them a lead they deserved, too, beating a hapless Martyn with a skewed cross that floated into the top corner on 22 minutes. Martyn was faultless, but the men in front of him were powerless as wave after wave of yellow attack followed. A draw would have seen England through to the quarter-finals at the expense of their opponents. A talented Portugal side were breezing a group containing the worst German outfit in generations; it was down to this match-up as to who joined them.

Martyn made another fine save to thwart Doriall Munteanu, but the pressure increased. The failings of Keegan’s England tenure were largely tactical and he did little to affect change in a torrid first half-hour.

Out of the blue on 41 minutes, his side were level. A rash Chivu challenge scythed Paul Ince in the penalty box and Alan Shearer scored his 30th and final international goal from the spot.

And then another. With half-time looming, the blistering pace of Michael Owen allowed him to get in behind the Romanian defence and score for a plucky 2-1 lead. This, we believed, would be where we would turn the screw.

Instead, England loosened it, with Martyn at fault. A misdirected punch found the impressive Munteanu on the edge of the area, and with the keeper out of position, the Wolfsburg playmaker hammered home.

Here, Keegan went for broke. Where so many England managers have failed by being too conservative in their approach, the opposite could be said of their Euro 2000 departure.

Future Leeds player Nick Barmby replaced future Leeds manager Dennis Wise on the left and Emile Heskey replaced Owen. England, Keegan thought, would defend their place in the tournament on the front foot. It wasn’t to be of course. England understanbly retreated in the final few minutes, with a certain Gareth Southgate coming on to shore things up in place of Paul Scholes. Romania, by now picking up a string of yellow cards in their bid to kick and scratch their way into the next stage, threw everything at Martyn.

And then, that all-too-familiar moment of heartbrake. With a minute to go, Phil Neville lunged in on Vioran Moldovan and Ionel Ganea scored from the spot. It made it 34 years and counting.

England take on Tunisia tonight with an exciting group of players and a lack of pressure that has dogged the national side since 1966. I know that was then, but it could be again.