Game Review England v. Germany
The first place of Group D takes on the second place Group F in one of the best quarterfinal matchups. England, fresh from a victory over the Czech Republic, has not won a knockout game in this tournament since 1996. Germany, after a draw against Hungary, wanted to improve their impressive resume and advance to the next round. Both these teams have severe expectations to be crowned champions, and the matchup was mouth-watering from the minute it was confirmed.
England had a very conservative lineup, with three center-backs, two wingbacks, and two defensive midfielders. This differed slightly from the games prior, but this was not unusual for Southgate. His idea was clear, to help build a wall to stop the German offense. However, even with this extra protection Germany started on the front foot. In the 8th minute, after cutting inside, Thomas Muller played a through ball into the path of Leon Goretzka. He was through on goal, but this chance was halted by the missed tackle by Declan Rice. The resulting free-kick was not a threat to England. After being dominated by Germany, England created a few chances for themselves and took over the game. Raheem Sterling had his shot saved by Manuel Neuer in the 16th minute after a short run towards the box. Harry Maguire had a couple of chances in the 17th and 27th minute to head the ball, but neither troubled the Germans. In the 32nd, the Germans created their best chance of the half. Kai Havertz found himself with some space to move towards the goal and play a ball into the path of Timo Werner. Inside the 18 yard box, Werner rifled a shot towards the far corner, but Jordan Pickford brilliantly saved the ball. In the closing seconds of the half, Muller carelessly gave the ball away to Raheem Sterling. Quickly, after being surrounded by the defenders the ball bobbled in the path perfectly for Harry Kane. Every single person in the stadium thought he would score, but he is unable to control the ball, and Mats Hummels clears it with ease. The halftime whistle blew after an exciting half at 0-0.
Both teams felt they should have scored. Werner and Kane had clear opportunities but were unable to convert. England in my opinion was much more dominant with the possession. But they were not able to rattle Germany with their chances. Their opponents looked deadly a couple of times but did not deliver the finishing touch to score. With some tired legs and a tactical stalemate, the substitutions looked like they would be a massive influence on the result of this game.
Even with many talented players on the bench for both teams, no substitutions were made at halftime. Once again Germany started on the front foot. Robin Goses saw his cross reach the feet of Havertz who connected the ball beautifully. The ball was searing into the goal until Pickford made another crucial save to keep the game level. Both teams gained 1 or 2 chances as the game progressed but nothing major truly happened until the 68th minute. Gareth Southgate decided to substitute Bukayo Saka for Jack Grealish. In the 75th minute, Sterling passed the ball directly to Harry Kane, who laid it off to Grealish. Then, the ball was played to Luke Shaw, who drilled the ball into the box. This was where England broke the deadlock. Sterling calmly finished the ball to make the score 1-0, and Wembley went crazy. There was still time for Germany to make the game even. They immediately tried to do so. Kai Havertz was able to dispossess Sterling and start the counterattack. He quickly played Muller through, and Jordan Pickford was the only man stopping him. Wembley had their hearts in their mouths as it was almost certain Muller would score. An all-time great performer surely doesn’t miss this chance. Then, Thomas Muller did the unthinkable and missed his shot. A crucial moment in the match. Germany never recovered from this miss, and in the 86th minute, Harry Kane put the game to bed. Jack Grealish got the assist from a cross from the left-hand side to the head of Kane. He could not miss and ended the game. After the final whistle, it was England 2 - 0 Germany.
For the first time since Euro 1996, England won a knockout-round game! This was no easy task either. England played sensationally and followed the game plan to perfection as Southgate wanted. The center backs held the fort up, and the wingbacks were able to move up and down the flank to provide whatever the team needed. Raheem Sterling scored his 3rd goal of the tournament, the most for England, and Harry Kane ended his goal-scoring drought. They did have some luck with the mistakes from Germany, but they put themselves in better positions to win the whole game. England has not conceded a goal this tournament, the only team to do so. Overall, it is clear they will do well in this tournament if they play to this level and should be viewed as a threat. For Germany, it was a difficult road when the games were announced. After a group stage with France and Portugal, it was a monumental task to beat England at Wembley. They did not capitalize on their chances and were sloppy with their play at times. This led to their defeat and premature exit in some eyes. Nonetheless, they can learn from this tournament and move forward in the future. Their squad has a boatload of talent with Sane, Gnabry, Kimmich, Havertz and others. They will be back. All in all, my prediction for England to win the tournament currently looks great and I still stand by it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3tGqXyvJLM
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