On this day in 1997, Alan Shearer scored and missed a penalty as England won a World Cup qualifier against Poland. The Three Lions enjoyed a 2-0 win in front of 32,000 supporters at the Stadion Śląski, scoring in the first few minutes of the game and in second half injury time.
England took the lead in the fifth minute through Shearer. Paul Ince drove with the ball through the middle and put through the Newcastle striker with a defence-spitting pass. Shearer made no mistake with his first-time finish into the far corner.
The 50-year-old had a chance to double his tally before the break when he was hauled down in the penalty area, but his spot-kick hit the post. It was a tight game up until the last few minutes of the second half until Teddy Sheringham gave England some daylight.
The Three Lions broke Poland’s offside trap and Rob Lee was through on goal. He rounded the goalkeeper and picked out the onrushing Sheringham who made no mistake from close range.
In other news, Newcastle suffer defeat in final game of Romanian tour on this day in 1958
