More On :  England
HOW THEY QUALIFIED


GROUP G
 GP
 W 
D 
L 
GD
 PTS
1
 England (Q)      
8
 5
 3
 0
 12
 18
2
 Montenegro
 8
 3
 3
 2
 0
 12
3
 Switzerland
 8
 3
 2
 3
 2
 11
4
 Wales
 8
 3
 0
 5
 -4
 9
5
 Bulgaria          
8
 1
 2
 5
 -10
 5


RESULTS TOP SCORERS
Sep 3, 2010: England 4-0 Bulgaria
Sep 7, 2010: Switzerland 1-3 England
Oct 12, 2010: England 0-0 Montenegro
Mar 26, 2011: Wales 0-2 England
Jun 4, 2011: England 2-2 Switzerland
Sep 2, 2011: Bulgaria 0-3 England
Sep 6, 2011: England 1-0 Wales
Oct 7, 2011: Montenegro 2-2 England		 3 - Darren Bent, Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Ashley Young
2 - Adam Johnson,
Frank Lampard
1 - Gary Cahill

An impressive start to the campaign, which included a Jermain Defoe hat-trick against Bulgaria, saw England top Group G after two matches, but hopes of running away with qualification were dented with disappointing draws at home to Montenegro and Switzerland.

However, following a comfortable win in Bulgaria and a narrow victory over Wales, the Three Lions booked their place at Euro 2012 by securing a point - albeit after taking a two-goal lead - in their final group game away to Montenegro, with qualification marred somewhat by Wayne Rooney’s second-half dismissal.

PAST RECORD IN THE EUROS 

1960
 Did not enter
 1988
 Group stage
1964
 Did not qualify
 1992
 Group stage
1968
 Third place
 1996
 Semi-finalists
1972
 Did not qualify 2000
 Group stage
1976
 Did not qualify 2004
 Quarter-finalists
1980
 Group stage 2008
 Did not qualify
1984
 Did not qualify 2012
 Qualified as group winners

England’s most notable appearance in the European Championships in recent years saw them reach the semi-finals on home soil in 1996, but Gareth Southgate failed to convert his decisive spot-kick as Terry Venables’ men lost out on penalties to Germany.

The Three Lions went on to suffer more heartache from the spot at the hands of Romania in their final group stage match at Euro 2000, before penalties again proved to be England’s downfall four years later, bowing out to Portugal in the quarter-final. In their last campaign, manager Steve McClaren lost his job after failing to secure qualification for Euro 2008.

THE MANAGER | FABIO CAPELLO


Capello’s reputation took a knock after England failed to build on an excellent qualification campaign for the 2010 World Cup at the tournament itself, and despite the Three Lions’ relatively comfortable passage to Euro 2012, doubts still remain over the Italian ahead of the competition.

But the former Real Madrid coach, who has already confirmed he will leave his post after the finals in Poland and Ukraine, has vowed to learn from mistakes made in the build-up to the World Cup by allowing his players a break of up to two weeks before they join up with the rest of the squad for the tournament.

THE CAPTAIN | JOHN TERRY


Terry has remained a key figure at the heart of England’s defence during qualification for Euro 2012, and has even regained the captaincy from Rio Ferdinand after Capello expressed his concerns with the Manchester United centre-back’s recurring injury problems.

The main threat to Terry's role as captain remains personal indiscretions - having already been stripped of it once for an affair with team-mate Wayne Bridge's girlfriend, and a racism investigation could see history repeat itself. Capello has maintained that his captain is innocent until proven otherwise, and he will maintain the armband for the time being at least.

THE STAR PLAYER | WAYNE ROONEY


The Manchester United star bounced back from his poor performances at the 2010 World Cup to become the first name on the team sheet for Capello during the qualifying campaign for Euro 2012. The striker, who has failed to score a goal at a major tournament since he broke on to the international stage at Euro 2004, netted three times in seven matches in qualification.

Despite Rooney looking set to miss the group stage games in Poland and Ukraine after being handed a three-match ban for a petulant kick on Montenegro's Miodrag Dzudovic, it is believed that Capello has already told the forward he will be part of his squad for the tournament.

THE EMERGING TALENT | JACK WILSHERE


One of a number of youngsters who have caught the eye of Capello following the World Cup, Wilshere has become a key part of Arsenal's midfield and already looks to have cemented his place in the England side after making his full debut for the senior team in a 2-1 friendly win against Denmark in February 2011.

Although injuries hindered the player’s progress with the Three Lions during qualification for Euro 2012, he looks set to be a mainstay in the national team set-up for years to come, with Capello claiming the youngster is the best midfielder he has seen for his age, while also tipping him to one day captain his country.
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