England have had sharply contrasting performances in their opening two World Cup performances – with the trends of BBC and ITV showing Three Lions matches continuing.
Gareth Southgate’s side demolished Iran 6-2 in their opening match in a free-flowing attacking performances as Bukayo Saka bagged a double with Jude Bellingham, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish all on the scoresheet.
Friday night was a different story as England played out a bore draw against USA in an encounter which not only failed to produce any goals but was also devoid of intensity and any clear goalscoring opportunities for Southgate’s team.
England have played 30 matches in the World Cup from the 1998 version onwards, including the opening two games of Euro 2022, of which 15 have been broadcast on the BBC and 15 on ITV. The Three Lions have had quite different fortunes depending on which channel they are on.
Across England’s 15 matches on BBC in the World Cup in that timeframe, they have won 11, drawn once and lost three times – working out at an impressive win rate of 73 percent. That is close to tournament-winning form…and is a much more comforting figure for the nation than when they perform on ITV.
The goalless draw against the US was the 15th World Cup game for the Three Lions on the channel since 1998, of which they have managed to win just twice, drawing six times and losing seven games. That works out at a pitiful win rate of just 13 percent.
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ITV have been unfortunate enough to host coverage of England’s across major tournaments – including the European Championships – including the shocking exit at the hands of Iceland at Euro 2016, when Roy Hodgson’s side lost 2-1 in France. The painful and insipid display in their goalless draw against Algeria at the 2010 World Cup was another that fitted ITV’s painful pattern.
The broadcaster has also shown England’s painful World Cup semi-final elimination against Croatia four years ago, having also shown the Euro 2000 exit against Portugal with a 3-2 defeat and the defeat to France four years later in the European Championships.
It has not all been doom and gloom, though. One of ITV’s more recent draws included the last-16 clash with Colombia at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. On that occasion, England progressed on penalties and would eventually progress through to the last four of that tournament.
