Spain and England had only met once before Sunday's European Championship final in the decisive phase of a European Championship or World Cup - at least at the highest men's level.
In 1996, England beat Spain on penalties in the quarter-finals at their home European Championships in London after 120 goalless minutes. The England team included current coach Gareth Southgate and greats such as Alan Shearer and Paul Gascoigne, who both scored a penalty. Goalkeeper David Seaman saved the last Spanish attempt from Miguel Angel Nadal, Rafael Nadal's uncle. Andoni Zubizarreta was in goal at the other end.
For England, it was the only successful penalty shoot-out between 1990 and 2012 and in the midst of six lost penalty duels at European and World Cups. Four days after the win against Spain, they lost to Germany - after a penalty shoot-out and Southgate's last missed attempt. While the English had a penalty trauma, the Spaniards suffered from the quarter-final hurdle, which they never overcame from 1986 to 2008.
In the women's competition, Spain and England faced each other in last year's World Cup final in Sydney, with the Spaniards coming out on top. There was also a final Spanish-English clash at the men's U21 European Championships, which the "Young Lions" won.
SDA
