On that occasion, David Beckham’s penalty just before half-time at the Sapporo Dome – awarded after Mauricio Pochettino had fouled Michael Owen – secured a memorable 1-0 victory for the Three Lions.
It was a hugely cathartic moment for Beckham, whose sending off for kicking out at Diego Simeone four years earlier had proven so costly as England were dumped out of the last 16 on penalties by Argentina after a thrilling 2-2 draw in Saint-Etienne that featured the most iconic goal of Owen’s career as an 18-year-old.
That 1998 clash was of course 12 years after the 1986 quarter-final in Mexico,…
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