1988 Euro Group Stage – Netherlands 2–1 England (Stuttgart)
Oranje's golden moment: Euro 1988 champions.
The Netherlands national football team has represented the Netherlands in international men's football matches since 1905. The men's national team is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), the governing body for football in the Netherlands, which is a part of UEFA, under the jurisdiction of FIFA. Most of the Netherlands home matches are played at the Johan Cruyff Arena, De Kuip, Philips Stadion, and De Grolsch Veste.
Quick Facts
- Tournament
- UEFA Euro 1988
- Stage
- Group Stage
- Result
- Netherlands 2 – 1 England
- Venue
- Stuttgart, West Germany
- Netherlands manager
- Rinus Michels
- England manager
- Bobby Robson
- Netherlands key players
- Gullit
- Rijkaard
- Van Basten
- Koeman
Lore & Background
The team is colloquially referred to as Het Nederlands Elftal (The Dutch Eleven) or Oranje, after the House of Orange-Nassau and their distinctive orange jerseys. Their fan club is known as Het Oranje Legioen (The Orange Legion). The Netherlands has competed in eleven FIFA World Cups, appearing in the final three times (in 1974, 1978, and 2010), finishing as runners-up on all three occasions. They have also appeared in eleven UEFA European Championships, winning the 1988 tournament in West Germany. Additionally, the team has won bronze medals at three Olympic football tournaments, in 1908, 1912, and 1920. The Netherlands has long-standing football rivalries with neighbours Belgium and Germany as well as the South American country of Argentina.
Reader's Guide
At Euro 1988 in West Germany, the Netherlands lost their first group match against the Soviet Union 1–0, then defeated England 3–1 (with a hat-trick by Marco van Basten) and the Republic of Ireland 1–0 to qualify for the semi-finals. Van Basten scored against the hosts in the 89th minute to sink the German side. The Netherlands won the final with a victory over the USSR with a header by Ruud Gullit and a volley by Van Basten. This was the national team's first major tournament win.
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