England's World Cup hopes all but evaporated in controversial circumstances in Rotterdam. Early in the second-half of an even game, Dutch defender Ronald Koeman was lucky to escape with only a booking when he cynically pulled down David Platt as the England captain was clear through on goal. The rules clearly state that a defender should be sent off for this type of professional foul. It was Koeman, the man who should have been in the dressing-room, who popped up at the other end of the pitch in the sixty-first minute to chip in a twice-taken free-kick to give Holland the lead. Six minutes later Dennis Bergkamp beat David Seaman with a low shot from outside the penalty area to wrap up the game and virtually end England's World Cup life ... and Graham Taylor's reign as England manager. In a fascinating fly-on-the-wall television documentary shown some months later we got a taste of the sort of pressure Taylor was under. He was filmed on the touchline almost having a nervous breakdown, using the f--- word more than thirty times, and giving a new catchphrase to the country, 'Do I not like that.'

Source Notes

TheFA.com
Voetbalstats.nl
Original newspaper reports
Official teamsheet
Rothman's Yearbooks
F.A. Yearbook
Norman Giller, Football Author
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CG