The 10 best England team performances in the Premier League era

#6 Italy 0-0 England – World Cup 1998: Qualifying Round

When Glenn Hoddle’s England, still riding the waves of their semi-final finish at Euro 1996, were drawn with World Cup 1994 finalists Italy, in their qualifying group for the 1998 tournament, booking a ticket to France was never going to be easy.

Hoddle’s side made it harder for themselves by dropping the home fixture to the Azzurri in February 1997.

But while England kept winning their subsequent games, beating Georgia, Poland and Moldova, Italy slipped up, drawing 0-0 with both the Poles and Georgians.

That left the 'Three Lions' needing just a point in their final game to qualify. The only problem, however, was that it was against Italy in Rome, easily the trickiest fixture Hoddle had faced since taking over from Terry Venables, and he was without his captain and talismanic striker Alan Shearer.

England fans needn’t have worried, instead, replacement striker Ian Wright and stand-in captain Paul Ince, delivered probably their best ever performances for the national side, while Paul Gascoigne ran the game from midfield, dominating Italy’s Demetrio Albertini, Angelo Di Livio, and Dino Baggio.

Ironically, it would be the last competitive game Gazza played for the Three Lions.

At any rate, England were fantastic. They showed composure and, ball retention which was not really expected from an English side at the time, as well as their trademark bulldog spirit, when Ince required stitches following a clash of heads, he simply played on with his head bandaged and bleeding.

In the dying moments of the game, Wright hit the post for England while Christian Vieri missed a point-blank header for Italy, but in the end, it finished goalless, allowing the 'Three Lions' safe passage to the World Cup.

It was probably the best game England ever played under Hoddle. The realization of his plan was to make England into a side who were comfortable on the ball, could play with attacking verve and, also retained a tough defence. The fact that it 'felt' like a win rather than a goalless draw sums it up, really.