When was the last time England beat Republic of Ireland?

England have cultivated a number of rivalries on the football pitch over the years and one of their fiercest is against the Republic of Ireland.

Matches between the near neighbours have been closely contested, with many of the players being familiar with each other from plying their trades in the same leagues.

But just when did the Three Lions last triumph over the Boys in Green and what is their record like?

When was the last time England beat the Republic of Ireland?

England last defeated Ireland on November 12, 2020 when the sides met in a friendly match at Wembley. The Three Lions won the game 2-1.

It was their first win over the Boys in Green in 35 years, with the last win before that coming on March 26, 1985, and their sixth time beating them in 17 meetings.

Harry Maguire put England ahead mid-way through the first half with a header, nodding past Darren Randolph after rising to meet a cross from Harry Winks.

Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho doubled the lead on the half-hour mark when he linked up with Jack Grealish - a former Ireland youth international who switched allegiance to England - before curling home.

England made it 3-0 from the penalty spot after Cyrus Christie tripped up Bukayo Saka in the box and Dominic Calvert-Lewin confidently converted, sending Randolph the wrong way.

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What is England's record vs Republic of Ireland?

Overall: Played: 17 | Wins: 6 | Draws: 9 | Losses: 2
Competitive: Played: 8 | Wins: 2 | Draws: 5 | Losses: 1

England's overall record against the Republic of Ireland (as separate from the old 'Ireland' team) is favourable, with six wins, nine draws and just two losses.

In competitive games only, England's record against Ireland is: Two wins, one loss and five draws in eight meetings.

While England hold the historical advantage over their near neighbours, they had gone seven matches without a win before their 2020 victory.

That streak - seven games without winning - is England's joint-worst winless run against any opponent (Romania joint with Ireland). 

The Three Lions notably lost 1-0 to Ireland at Euro '88 in Stuttgart and the teams played out a 1-1 draw two years later at the World Cup in 1990.

They were then drawn together in the qualification stage of Euro '92, but could not be separated, with 1-1 draws occurring in London and Dublin, with England topping the group ahead of Ireland by a point.

*Match abandoned after 27 minutes. Ireland were 1-0 up in the game, but for record purposes the game is deemed a 0-0 draw.

Since then, there have been no competitive meetings between the teams, but there was nothing friendly about their 1995 international at Lansdowne Road, which was abandoned after 27 minutes.

Ireland had been leading the match thanks to a David Kelly goal, but disturbances among England supporters descended into a running riot, with projectiles being thrown, and the game was called off.

At the time, Jack Charlton, who was coming to the end of his tenure as Ireland boss said: "I have seen a lot in football but nothing like this."

However, friendly matches between the sides, such as those played in 2013, 2015 and 2020 have since passed off without incident - some might say both on and off the pitch!

Ireland, interestingly, have never beaten England at Wembley - failing on seven attempts (four losses, three draws) - with their only away win on English soil coming at Goodison Park in 1949.