Jordan Henderson: No talk of Euro 96 semi in England camp ahead of Germany clash

Jordan Henderson has revealed there has been no talk of Euro 96 and England’s semi-final defeat to Germany despite the two nations being paired together again 25 years later.

Current Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate memorably missed a penalty as Germany won at Wembley en route to lifting the trophy.

Now Southgate will be aiming to mastermind victory over the same opponents a quarter of a century later, with England and Germany meeting in the round of 16 at Euro 2020 next Tuesday.

Most of the 26-man squad are not old enough to recall the events of June 26, 1996 and Henderson said the game has not been mentioned since Germany progressed into the knockout stages on Wednesday evening.

“No, we haven’t spoke about it and I’m not sure if we will either,” he said.

“I think a lot of talk will be on penalties but for us, being in a penalty shoot-out not so long ago (against Colombia in the 2018 World Cup) and we practice penalties all the time, it’s just part and parcel of football now. In tournaments especially.”

Henderson played the second half of England’s Group D win over the Czech Republic on Tuesday night, a result which saw them progress as group winners.

The Liverpool skipper had been on the sidelines as he recovered from groin surgery but is now keen to see off Germany and reach the quarter-finals.

“It would mean everything to us to get into the next round of the tournament,” he said.

“To beat Germany as well is special because it’s always a big game. It would mean everything as a squad to be able to progress.

“We’ll look forward to the game and all we can do is give absolutely everything we’ve got on Tuesday and hopefully that’s enough to win.

“It’s exciting. It’s a huge game and one we’ll be looking forward to. We knew whatever team we faced would be a big challenge and Germany will certainly be that. We need to prepare well and give everything against them.”

Germany won just once in Group F, finishing second behind France to set up a Wembley date next week.

Despite finishing with just four points, Henderson still believes Joachim Low’s side pose a tough challenge.

“They’re still a very good side – look at the players,” he added.

“They’ve got quality all over the pitch. In games like this it’s not about form, it’s about who’s better on the night and puts a performance in.

“We need to make sure we are 100 per cent ready and I’m sure we will be. That’s what you try and do every game.

“Focus on what you can control. Nothing needs to change in that sense. It’s a big game and a lot of players thrive off big games. Hopefully we can handle it well.”