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The Summer Football Came Home – Euro ’96 Relived With OptaJoe

By: Oliver Hopkins

“Football Comes Home” was the slogan for Euro ’96 and, for one glorious month, it felt like it actually had. It was the first tournament that England had hosted since the 1966 World Cup, and a heady mix of sun, Britpop and packed out bars had the whole nation dreaming.

Following their poor showing at Euro ’92, the failure to qualify for USA ’94 and in possession of a striker struggling with a 12-game goalless streak, England faced up to Euro 96 with a sense of trepidation. Three weeks later, they emerged as heroic losers who had gripped a nation.

Airing from May 11, ITV Hub, the online video on demand service from UK broadcaster ITV, will be taking a trip down sporting memory lane and will air all 31 games from one of the most closely contested tournaments in recent history. In addition, ITV4 will also broadcast England’s five games, as well as the final between Germany and the Czech Republic.

Using Stats Perform’s unique European Championship database, which dates to the first expanded tournament in 1980, OptaJoe will be covering every England match plus all knockout stage games as if live. OptaJoe’s expert data insights team will be posting all the best data-driven stories in real-time from an iconic summer tournament.

Be sure to follow OptaJoe and use #Euro96Relived to engage in the action.


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