EURO 2024
England’s elimination of Germany is 1st knockout victory in 55 years
Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane struck late goals as England reached the Euro 2020 quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Germany at Wembley on Tuesday (June 29), their first knockout victory over their old rivals since the 1966 World Cup final.
England will play Ukraine, who beat a 10-man Sweden 2-1 in Glasgow, in the last eight after a victory which sent the home crowd of over 40,000 into wild celebration.
It was England’s first ever knockout round win at the Euros inside 90 minutes and after a build-up dominated by talk of historic and bitter tournament losses to Germany, their focus will now be on making some history of their own.
The visitors’ defeat marked the end of Joachim Loew’s time as Germany coach after 15 years in charge, during which he guided them to the 2014 World Cup title in Brazil.
Debate will continue about England manager Gareth Southgate’s selections but it was telling that both goals came after midfielder Jack Grealish was introduced from the bench in the 69th minute when the entire tempo and mood of the game changed.
Six minutes after Grealish came on he was involved in a flowing passing move which ended with left wing back Luke Shaw deftly slipping the ball across the face of the goal for Sterling to slide in his third goal in four Euro 2020 games.
Yet shortly after scoring Sterling almost gifted the Germans a leveller when he gave the ball away on the halfway line and Kai Havertz sent Thomas Mueller through on goal.
The experienced World Cup winner had only England keeper Jordan Pickford to beat but dragged his shot wide of his right-hand post, leaving Sterling, who watched in anguish on his knees, to leap to his feet in relief.
After that reprieve, and with the crowd roaring England on, Grealish was the direct provider for the second goal, crossing from the left for captain Kane to beat keeper Manuel Neuer with a stooping header.
It was Kane’s first goal of the tournament and his return to scoring ways will be another positive for Southgate as he looks ahead at a potential route to the final.
Cautious line-up
Southgate’s decision to play a five-man defence and two holding midfielders was a cautious one, but England did start the game brightly.
Sterling tested Neuer in the 16th minute, cutting in from the left flank and finding room to unleash a drive towards the far corner which the Germany keeper did well to get across to.
Much of England’s probing was coming from Kieran Trippier down the right and he found Harry Maguire in a promising position with a lofted ball to the back post but the centre half’s header was over the bar.
Germany were enjoying plenty of possession in midfield with England sitting deep but they provided a warning of their threat when Havertz slipped through Timo Werner, although Pickford was out quickly to smother.
Just before the break Mats Hummels had to intervene quickly to clear as Kane looked to pounce after Sterling’s burst into the box had caused chaos.
After the interval Germany sensed England had lost their way and went close when Havertz’s powerful drive was superbly tipped over by Pickford.
The game was in the balance but then came Grealish, whose name had been sung by the England fans throughout the game and who lived up to those hopes and expectations by providing the spark England had been missing.
England will head into their quarter-final in Rome on Saturday knowing victory will set-up a semi and potentially a final on home turf back at Wembley.
“Any team will be looking at us and know that we’re dangerous. We want to go all the way so need to keep it up,” said Kane.
“There isn’t anything bigger than this when the expectation is on and we delivered so we should be proud but we can’t stop here. We have a vision of where we want to go and we can’t stop now. Hopefully we’ll be back here in the semi-finals and the final.”
Southgate, though, is as restrained with his words as he is with tactics and said he had been quick to calm his players down.
“We played extremely well, we deserved the win, but I’ve had to say to them straight away, I’m the party pooper; if we don’t capitalise on that on Saturday, it doesn’t count for anything.”
Outgoing Germany coach Joachim Loew lamented his team’s missed opportunities after his 15-year run at the helm of the national team came to a losing end at Wembley stadium.
His side found no way past a granite-like defence that has yet to concede in the tournament as Gemany missed two golden chances through Timo Werner and Thomas Mueller in either half to score.
“It was a huge disappointment,” Loew said. “We expected more and the belief in the team was there. But in such games, you have to take your chances when you get them.
“We had two of those chances with Werner and Mueller and so it is bitter to be eliminated now at this stage.”
Loew, who took over in 2006 and led Germany to the 2014 World Cup title before they crashed out of the tournament four years later in the first round, will be succeeded by former Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick.
“We had hoped for so much more in this tournament. I am sad that the enthusiasm at home is now gone after a game,” Loew said.
Germany ‘keeper Manuel Neuer said it could have gone either way.
“I think it was a huge chance for us to advance to the last eight but we missed that chance and the disappointment is great,” he said.
“It was a tight game. Werner had a chance, then at 1-0 Thomas (Mueller) had a chance. Had he scored it would have been different. It wasn’t that they played us against the wall.”
-Reuters
England manager Gareth Southgate said he does not believe that fate is guiding the Three Lions to Euro 2024 glory, but is dreaming of ending a 58-year wait to win a major tournament in Sunday’s final against Spain.
Three years on from losing the Euro 2020 final on home soil to Italy, Southgate’s men have another opportunity to become European champions for the first time in Berlin.
England have struggled on their road to the final, needing a series of late goals, fightbacks and a penalty shoot-out against Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
Southgate said that did not mean they were destined to beat a Spanish side who have been a class apart in the competition so far.
However, it would a reward for England’s consistency in never failing to reach at least the quarter-finals in the four tournaments Southgate has taken charge of.
“I’m not a believer in fairy tales but I am a believer in dreams,” Southgate said at his pre-match press conference on July 13.
“We’ve had big dreams, we’ve felt the need and the importance of that but then you have to make those things happen.
“Fate, the run that we’ve had, the late goals, the penalties, that doesn’t equate to it being our moment, we have to make it happen tomorrow and perform at the level that we need to perform.
“Of course it would be a lovely story but it’s in our hands and our performance is the most important thing.”
–AFP
Spain go into Sunday’s Euro 2024 final as slight favourites over England after not only being the most attractive team to watch at the tournament but having won every match they have played.
The Spaniards have emerged as a team that can quickly adapt their strategy to their opponents without giving up their direct attacking game in favour of a results-based performance.
They outsmarted France in the semi-finals despite falling a goal behind and it took them just five minutes to score twice to take the lead with their relentless pressing game and vertical passing that forced the French to resort to long balls.
With Rodri as their midfield dynamo, a strategist matching Germany’s Toni Kroos in impressive passing efficiency but with a more attack-minded approach, the battle in the centre of the pitch is expected to play a key role in the outcome.
England will have to wrestle possession from Spain, who also have the outstanding Fabian Ruiz in midfield, a player who for many is already the player of the tournament.
With lightning wingers Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal, who turns 17 on Saturday and is the youngest scorer at a Euros or World Cup, ripping up defences and able to score and provide assists, England’s fullbacks will have their hands full.
Spain are the first team to win six games at a single Euros following their victory over France, up to that stage the team with the tournament’s best defence.
A second successive Euro final for England and coach Gareth Southgate is no mean feat even though they had to endure weeks of criticism, especially in the group phase, for lacklustre performances and with little punching power up front.
England’s defence, however, has remained solid and with the pace of John Stones and Kyle Walker, when they do get exposed, they have proved adept at scrambling recoveries.
SPANISH POSSESSION
Spain’s ball possession and movement will likely give England their biggest test so far and key to Southgate’s side being able to stay in shape is the incredible work of defensive midfield screen Declan Rice.
His anticipation of danger areas plus his movement, strength and determination have made him arguably England’s best player in Germany as he patrols in front of the back four, firefighting wherever the danger pops up.
The rest of England’s midfield also stepped up against the Netherlands in the semi-finals in terms of regaining possession, with Kobbie Mainoo, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden all showing an appetite to spoil and stifle.
After their largely misfiring group stage, with two goals in three matches, Southgate will have been reassured by what he saw against the Dutch when his big names stepped up and started creating sustained danger from out wide and through the middle.
He will encourage Jude Bellingham to run hard at the same defenders the midfielder bullied en route to becoming LaLiga player of the year, while reminding Harry Kane how much more effective he was in the semi when he did his work in and around the box rather than going deep as he often did previously.
One area of concern is England’s failure to be dangerous at set piece situations. Defensively they looked vulnerable in the air against a very big Netherlands team but that is unlikely to be so much of a factor versus Spain.
-Reuters
Here are some facts and records of European Championship finals ahead of Sunday’s Euro 2024 showcase between Spain and England:
Most titles: Spain (3), Germany/West Germany (3)
If Spain win the title on Sunday they will be the only team to have won the title four times.
Most finals: Germany/West Germany (6), Spain (5, including Euro 2024)
Titles won by the Euro 2024 finalists
Spain: 1964, 2008, 2012
England: –
Biggest win in final: Spain beat Italy 4-0 in 2012.
Finals decided in extra-time: 1960, 1996, 2000, 2016
Finals decided by penalties: 1976, 2020
Final played twice: 1968. The final won by Italy was played twice after the first match against Yugoslavia ended 1-1 after extra-time. Penalties had not yet been introduced as deciders.
Defending champions winning the title: Spain 2012
Teams that won the title after reaching the final in the previous edition:
1980 West Germany (finalists in 1976)
1996 Germany
England reached the 2020 final which they lost to Italy and are in the final once more.
Teams that won the title without requiring penalty shootouts during the tournament since their introduction:
France (2000), Greece (2004)
If England win they will be the seventh team in the last nine Euros to have triumphed after winning a shootout at some point in the tournament.
Third-placed team in group stage to win the title: Portugal (2016)
Red cards in final: 1984 Yvon Le Roux (France)
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