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THREESY GOING
Spain out to avenge controversial England defeat from 28 years ago when THREE game-changing decisions went against them
Barcelona legend revealed what may prove to be a good omen for his country
GUILLERMO AMOR says Spain are out for revenge for their Euro 96 exit at the hands of England.
At Wembley 28 years ago, the Spanish had two goals wrongly disallowed for offside through Julio Salinas and Kiko.
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And they were also left fuming when referee Marc Batta refused to award a clear penalty after Three Lions legend Paul Gascoigne had brought down Alfonso Perez in the box.
The hosts weathered the storm and won a penalty shootout to book a semi-final clash against Germany.
As fate would have it, current Spain and Manchester City superstar Rodri was born that day — June 22, 1996 — and Barcelona legend Amor feels it may be a good omen for his country tomorrow.
The former midfielder, 56, said: “England v Spain at Euro 96 was a great game.
“We had a great opportunity, played a brilliant game and deserved more! As a team, we all pulled in the same direction.
“That defeat against England rankles with us because we could have done something important had we gone through. And I think we could have gone all the way.
“Both countries respect each other and I won’t be drawn into saying whether it was an injustice or not, only that what happened can be used as a fuel. And in a final, motivation will come on its own.
“Rodri was born that day, which shows life is full of coincidences!
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England vs Spain record
England have played Spain 27 times in total - here is a look at every result...
- May 1929, Spain 4-3 England - International Friendly (L)
- December 1931, England 7-1 Spain - International Friendly (W)
- July 1950, Spain 1-0 England - World Cup (L)
- May 1955, Spain 1-1 England - International Friendly (D)
- November 1955, England 4-1 Spain - International Friendly (W)
- May 1960, Spain 3-0 England - International Friendly (L)
- October 1960, England 4-2 Spain - International Friendly (W)
- December 1965, Spain 0-2 England - International Friendly (W)
- May 1967, England 2-0 Spain - International Friendly (W)
- April 1968, England 1-0 Spain - European Championship (W)
- May 1968, Spain 1-2 England - European Championship (W)
- March 1980, Spain 0-2 England - International Friendly (W)
- June 1980, England 2-1 Spain - European Championship (W)
- March 1981, England 1-2 Spain - International Friendly (L)
- July 1982, Spain 0-0 England - World Cup (D)
- February 1987, Spain 2-4 England - International Friendly (W)
- September 1992, Spain 1-0 England - International Friendly (L)
- June 1996, England 0(4)-(2)0 Spain - European Championship (W)
- February 2001, England 3-0 Spain - International Friendly (W)
- November 2004, Spain 1-0 England - International Friendly (L)
- February 2007, England 0-1 Spain - International Friendly (L)
- February 2009, Spain 2-0 England - International Friendly (L)
- November 2011, England 1-0 Spain - International Friendly (W)
- November 2015, Spain 2-0 England - International Friendly (L)
- November 2016, England 2-2 Spain - International Friendly (D)
- September 2018, England 1-2 Spain - Nations League (L)
- October 2018, Spain 2-3 England - Nations League (W)
Overall, England have won 14, drawn three and lost 10 matches against Spain.
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Meet Spain's Euro 2024 Wags
Spain Wags range from teenager sweethearts to recently blossoming love stories.
Alice Campello (Alvaro Morata's wife)
Alice Campello is an Italian model and fashion designer and has been married to Alvaro Morata since 2017. The pair has four children together.
Sara Botello (Aymeric Laporte's wife)
Sara Botello is a trained dancer, having performed ballet and contemporary dance in shows around Spain. She married Aymeric Laporte in 2023 and the pair have two children together.
Tatiana Trouboul (David Raya's girlfriend)
Tatiana Trouboul is the girlfriend of David Raya. Before moving to London with him, she worked in a nightclub. Now she is working as a model.
Claudia Rodriguez (Marc Cucurella's girlfriend)
Claudia and Marc met in Barcelona after he messaged her on Instagram. The pair has third children together and have been together since six years.
Lola Liberal ( Mikel Merino's wife)
Lola Liberal is a blogger and loves to share loving moments with ex-Newcastle star Mikel Merino. The pair married in January 2024.
Laura Cascante (Rodrigo Hernández's girlfriend)
Laura Iglesias is a medical student and is training to become a surgeon. The pair met during university.
Laura Abla Schmitt (Dani Olmo's girlfriend)
Laura Abla Schmitt and Dani Olmo made their relationship public on New Year's Day in 2024.
“He’s a magnificent footballer who has proven it game after game for Spain and at Manchester City.
“He’s always in the right position to receive the ball and always looks to have the best passing option, making the squad tick.
Historic Euro 2024 final stadium is home to England's darkest day
“He works so hard, excels at winning the ball back and always puts his body on the line for the team.”
Amor was a key player in Johan Cruyff’s famous Barcelona team including Romario, Hristo Stoichkov and Pep Guardiola in the 1990s.
The 37-cap Spain star also won the European Cup at Wembley in 1992, and five LaLiga titles.
England have progressively got stronger throughout Euro 2024 but Amor is sure that Spain’s name should end up on the trophy tomorrow due to their exciting brand of football.
He said: “England have a good team with great players who will give everything to win the title. And they will certainly shoot for the stars.
That defeat against England rankles with us because we could have done something important had we gone through. And I think we could have gone all the way.
Guillermo Amor
“But the way Spain have been playing — they deserve to win the championship.
"They have played better throughout the Euros and have tasted only victory so far.
“As a team they have also been the most consistent but anything can happen as both sides have what it takes to be champions.”
Asked if Spain have more to lose than England, Amor said: “Both teams have pressure because there is something very important at stake.”
And he praised Spain boss Luis de la Fuente, who ditched what had become inefficient sideways tiki-taka football in favour of a more direct style of play.
He added: “The coach has done a terrific job.
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"He’s very serious and professional and has created a good atmosphere with his man-management skills.
“He always defends his players and you can see in the way they work that they are dedicated.”
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