England and Scotland meet for a derby between rival neighbors on Friday evening at the end of the second day of Group D of Euro 2020 (9 p.m.).
A historical poster which was the first football match to be played at international level, in 1872. Europe 1 traces the history of this legendary match.
It's a new episode in the biggest international rivalry in the world of football. Friday evening, England host Scotland at their Wembley stadium in London for the second day of Euro 2020 in Group D (9 p.m.). Two teams with opposing dynamics: England won their first match against Croatia (1-0), while Scotland missed their debut against the Czech Republic (0-2).
This derby between the two British rivals promises to be hot, and it takes on a historic character: England-Scotland, it is the very first international meeting officially recognized by Fifa which was played on November 29, 1872, 15 years after the creation of the premier football club, Sheffield FC.
In total, 114 matches were between the two neighboring countries, with a small advantage for the English (48 wins, 41 for Scotland, 25 draws).
The opportunity to return to the beginnings of this rivalry before the 115th confrontation on Friday.
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Around 4,000 spectators for an unprecedented match
Almost 150 years ago, two Scottish and English teams competed on the heavy lawn of the Hamilton Crescent in Partick, a district of Glasgow, on Scotland's National Day in 1872. The two countries had met. already met before, but the team of the nation with thistle was made up mainly of players evolving in England.
To play this unprecedented match, Scotland is represented by footballers from Queen's Park, the first Scottish club at the time.
The players wear dark blue shirts while the English play with a white shirt and cap.
The meeting is scheduled for the beginning of the afternoon, in the fog, and about 4,000 spectators attend.
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A plethora of attackers
The two teams practice a dribbling game already well developed according to the accounts of the time, and if the Scots make a better impression, the various shots end in failures. The two selections take advantage of the break to alternate the duties of goalkeeper with one of their field player. It should be noted that the playing systems were very different today: Scotland played with six attackers, while England lined up eight.
Despite this plethora of center-forwards, no goal was finally scored in the first match in the history of international football (0-0). But the British newspapers have underlined the quality of the game which was played that day. Perhaps it will be the same on Friday, a century and a half later, during a British derby expected in the group stage of Euro 2020?