The 9 Greatest England V Scotland Matches

England and Scotland met in the first ever international football match on November 30 1872 when they played out a goalless draw at Hamilton Crescent in Glasgow. Over 140 years later the Auld Enemies are still battling it out for supremacy and having played well over 100 times, there have been some incredible battles over the years. He we look at some of the best Anglo-Scottish contests on the football field. Don’t worry, that initial 0-0 draw doesn’t get close.

England 2-0 Scotland June 15 1996

Arguably the most famous moment in the history of England vs Scotland came in this contest as Paul Gascoigne showed he still had the magic touch for his country. England were already 1-0 up thanks to Alan Shearer netting and David Seaman saving a Gary McAllister penalty but the most memorable scene of that day at Wembley was thanks to Gazza. With his bleach blonde hair, he scooped the ball over Colin Hendry’s head, leaving him on the floor, and volleyed home past Andy Goram to score one of the great England goals.

Scotland 2-2 v England June 10 2017

Scotland went in to this game desperate for a win to re-invigorate their qualification hopes for the 2018 World Cup. England went ahead on 70 minutes through Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and looked to be on their way to a relatively straight-forward victory. However Leigh Griffiths stepped up twice in the 87th and 90th minutes to score two stunning free kicks and look to have given the Scots a famous win. It was not to be however as Harry Kane notched a last-gasp equaliser and capped off an extraordinary finish to an otherwise forgettable encounter.

Scotland 2-4 England Apr 03 1954

Over 134,000 people packed into Hampden Park for this World Cup qualifier which doubled up as a British Championship contest at the time. Both teams had already secure a spot in Switzerland but the British Championship was on the line and Scotland made the perfect start with an Allan Brown goal after just seven minutes. However, four goals from the visitors (Broadis, Nicholls, Allen and Mullen) secured the Championship for England, despite a late consolation from Willie Ormond.

England 7-2 Scotland Apr 02 1955

The English boasted a team featuring the likes of Stanley Matthews, Nat Lofthouse, Billy Wright and Duncan Edwards and their superior class was clearly on display at Wembely. Walter Winterbottom’s side had already secured the Home Championship and clearly the freedom suited them as they battered the Auld Enemy. Despite the star names that have stood the test of time, it was Dennis Wilshaw that stole the show with four goals, opening the scoring in the first and closing the scoring in the 84th minutes.

England 5-4 Scotland Apr 10 1920

This classic took place at Hillsborough nearly 100 years ago and remains one of Scotland’s most heart-wrenching defeats to England as they needed a win to claim the British Championship that year. The first-half was a manic one, with England taking the lead twice but going into half-time 4-2 behind as the Scots recovered admirably. The title was within reach but the pressure told as the home side scored three times and ended their opponent’s chances of glory. There was not even anything in this for England as Wales took the title.

England 9-3 Scotland Apr 15 1961

The biggest ever margin of victory in a contest between these sides as the English romped to victory thanks at their London home. Future manager Bobby Robson opened the scoring but Jimmy Greaves grabbed the headlines with a hat-trick whilst captain Johnny Haynes and Bobby Smith both scored twice. Scotland had some decent players on show with Denis Law, Dave Mackay and Ian St John amongst their starting XI, but they could not handle the home side that day.

England 1-5 Scotland Mar 31 1928

This huge win for the Scots at England’s home saw this side dubbed the ‘Wembley Wizards’ as they humbled their oldest rivals. Chief among the wizards was Alec Jackson who bagged a hat-trick and Alec James was not far behind him, netting twice en route to the victory. There wasn’t anything the likes of Dixie Dean could do that day and Bob Kelly’s late consolation made no difference.

England 1-2 Scotland Jun 04 1977

A memorable win for Scotland at Wembley in the British Championship and the images of the fans taking their souvenirs from the stadium after also stick in the memory. A really good Scotland side called on two of their best players as Gordon McQueen opened the scoring and then Kenny Dalglish got their second. Mick Channon scored a penalty with a few minutes to go to make it nervy but the visitors held on before their fans stormed the pitch and made a fair mess of the place.

England 2-3 Scotland Apr 15 1967

The Three Lions may have won the World Cup just the year before and they fielded near enough the same team that lifted the Jules Rimet trophy, but it was the Scots who triumphed in a cracker at Wembley in 1967. England legends jack Charlton and Geoff Hurst scored for the home side but the visitors had some greats in their ranks too as Denis Law, Bobby Lennox and Jim McCalliog secured the win for Bobby Brown’s side.