{"id":298286,"date":"2023-11-26T18:39:04","date_gmt":"2023-11-26T18:39:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tellmysport.com\/?p=298286"},"modified":"2023-11-26T18:39:04","modified_gmt":"2023-11-26T18:39:04","slug":"venables-was-haunted-by-nightmares-of-gazzas-near-miss-in-euro-96-heartbreak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tellmysport.com\/soccer\/venables-was-haunted-by-nightmares-of-gazzas-near-miss-in-euro-96-heartbreak\/","title":{"rendered":"Venables was haunted by ‘nightmares’ of Gazza’s near miss in Euro 96 heartbreak"},"content":{"rendered":"
Terry Venables admitted he was haunted by \u201cnightmares\u201d of Paul Gascoigne\u2019s near-goal before England\u2019s Euro 96 dreams came to a crashing halt.<\/p>\n
News of former England manager Venables\u2019 death at the age of 80 broke on Sunday (November 26). Venables famously led the Three Lions to the semi-finals of Euro 96, where they were knocked out on penalties by Germany despite many believing they were good enough to win the tournament.<\/p>\n
They came agonisingly close to knocking out their fierce rivals, in fact, just a mere few inches. With the score level at 1-1 in extra-time, Alan Shearer fizzed the ball across from the right hand side, beating the entirety of Germany\u2019s defence.<\/p>\n
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Lurking at the back post was fan-favourite Gascoigne, or \u2018Gazza\u2019, who threw himself at the ball. But the Geordie icon\u2019s boot missed it by a matter of inches, failing to tap the ball into an empty net.<\/p>\n
The rest is history – Gareth Southgate scuffed his crucial penalty while Andreas Moller made no such mistake against David Seaman. And the late former England boss revealed on BBC 5 Live Breakfast back in May 2014 that he still rued the missed opportunity.<\/p>\n
Do you think England deserved to win Euro 96? Let us know in the comments section.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI think about it most nights, actually. When I\u2019m in bed I have nightmares about it,\u201d Venables said while chuckling.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do! It\u2019s one of those things where, you think you have a lifetime in the game and it\u2019s really fantastic, and then this little whisker of Gazza missing the ball for the goal that would have taken us to the final.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think to yourself about what could have been. Not so much now but for a long time it got to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Germany went on to become European champions with a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic. England have still not won a major trophy, coming closest in 2021 when they lost 2-1 to Italy at Wembley in the Euro 2020 final.<\/p>\n
Following news of Venables\u2019 passing, Gascoigne paid tribute in typical Gazza fashion. The ex-midfielder, who worked under the former at Tottenham from 1988-91 in addition to England, posted a picture of Venables with a cup of tea in his hand.<\/p>\n
He captioned the upload: "Such a sad day, cheers boss xxxx," having built up a special relationship which extended far beyond the pitch.<\/p>\n