Steven did not feature in the tournament until the quarter final against Cameroon when he came on as a substitute as England found themselves behind in the second half. He did the same thing again in the semi-final – again replacing his Rangers teammate Terry Butcher – as England chased the game against West Germany, ultimately forcing a draw and a penalty shootout. Steven didn't take a penalty and England went out. He finally started a game when Robson put him in the team for the showpiece third-place play-off against Italy, which England lost 2–1.