On this day 30 years ago, the Netherlands beat England 2–0 in a controversial World Cup qualifier that ultimately ended England's hopes of qualifying.

Retrospective articles:

I was at Holland 2-0 England, 1993 – for one of the maddest Three Lions away days of my life (2019)
20 years on: Taylor, Platt, Koeman and the ref relive the defining moments of England's 1993 World Cup heartbreak in Holland (2013)
Graham Taylor: When England's World Cup hopes were ended by Koeman in Rotterdam (2018)

are there other world cups where England and France both didn’t manage to qualify?

"The referee's got me the sack, thank him ever so much for that won't you?''

Norway, of all countries, topped this qualifying group that also included Poland, Turkey and San Marino.

At the 1994 world cup we would lose in a close game in the quarterfinals to the later winners: Romario's Brazil.

I believe we could have won that world cup with the amount of talent in the Dutch squad at the time: Frank de Boer, Frank Rijkaard, Danny Blind, Ronald Koeman, Wouters, Winter, Overmars, Jonk, Bergkamp.

If only there wasn't such controversy with the national team at the time. Gullit fell out with Advocaat and retired from international football in 1994, whilest having scored 18 goals and winning the Coppa Italia that year with Sampdoria. He was only 31 years old at the time and he would later say he regreted his actions.

We are so used to the access that camera crews have, or the little behind the scenes videos. But back when the Taylor documentary came out there really wasn't much like it. It was fascinating then and it's fascinating now. As a time capsule of what football used to be it's so much fun to rewatch. The old style kits and footballs, muddy pitches, black boots only. And tactically it just seems a lot more basic.

One should never forget that documentary about Graham Taylor - An Impossible Job. The bitterness and anger when Ronald Koeman brought David Platt down (he was right, he should have been sent off) and the sad face after the match sums up the desperation the English side was having at that moment.

Here you can see his reactions during the match

WHAT HAVE THEY BEEN INSTRUCTED!?!

We may complain about VAR but this is why we have to have it. By the time we get to the first goal, the Dutch should have already scored (wrongly offside), there should have had a red card (for Ronald Koeman) and a penalty for the foul on Platt and there should have been another red card for the foul on Parker. And then the goal was scored by Ronald Koeman, who should have been off the pitch.

Regardless of what happened after, the ref had profoundly affected the shape of the match by 60 minutes in. Nobody likes VAR but this is why we have to have it.