Semi-final stories - Alan Mullery

England have reached the semi-finals of the European Championship for the third time – and on all three occasions, Spurs players have been to the fore. As captain Harry Kane prepares to lead the Three Lions into battle against Denmark at Wembley on Wednesday night, we’ve spoken to Alan Mullery and Darren Anderton, key figures in previous Euro semi-finals in 1968 and 1996.

First up, ‘Mullers’, our legendary former midfielder, captain of our 1972 UEFA Cup winning team, on a night he’d rather forget against Yugoslavia in Florence, Italy in 1968…

‘People still ask me about that red card’

The European Championships of 1968 had a different look to Euro 2020. For a start, only four teams competed in the finals in Italy - England, the reigning world champions, Italy, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia - after a qualifying process of eight groups and quarter-finals.

England faced Yugoslavia for a place in the final against Italy, who beat the Soviet Union via a coin toss after their semi-final finished goalless in Napoli.

Now 79, Alan remembers a ‘frustrating’ night at the Stadio Comunale and a match that exploded in the last five minutes. Yugoslavia scored what turned out to be the winner through Dragan Dzajic on 85 minutes and then the flashpoint a minute later as Dobrivoje Trivic clattered into Alan from behind, raking his studs down the back of his legs. It was the last straw on the night for Alan, earning the 11th of his 35 caps, who reacted angrily, and was sent off by Spanish referee, Jose Maria Ortiz de Mendibil – the first player to receive a red card for England.

“Yugoslavia were particularly dirty that night, all the tricks,” reflected Alan, talking to us this week. “With two minutes to go, this fella (Dobrivoje) Trivic ran his boot down the back of my calf, it started bleeding straight away and I just turned around and kicked him. That was it, red card. It didn’t go down too well, and it never goes away because it was the first one for England at senior level. I did it, years later I don’t like it, but it happened.

“People still ask me about that red card, even today, what is it now? 63 years ago? It’s amazing really. It has passed down generations. I suppose being the first means everyone remembers. If you were a young jockey and won your first Derby, you’ll always be remembered for it. You think it will go away, but it doesn’t, and keeps coming back time after time, from 16-year-olds to 70/80-year-olds. So yes, in terms of people talking about it still, it’s amazing.”

Alan feels this generation of England players are rising to the challenge at this tournament. “I’ve got to be honest, in the first couple of matches, I didn’t think we were great,” he said, referring to England’s first two matches against Croatia (1-0) and Scotland (0-0). "But we’ve got better and that’s important in a tournament.

“Gareth Southgate has left out the likes of Jack Grealish, Phil Foden and played Raheem Sterling, who wasn’t in the best form at the end of last season, but he’s responded with goals. Harry Kane now has three goals in two matches, what a fantastic player, prolific goalscorer, the best in the country. Denmark have something to play for after what happened to Christian Eriksen. They want to win it for him. I believe this will be England’s toughest game so far, let’s hope they come through it!”

FA Cup winner in 1967, League Cup winner in 1971 and UEFA Cup in 1972, Alan played 373 times for us between 1964-72.