Germany didn’t just beat England on Sunday afternoon. They thoroughly outclassed them.
After days of hype around the clash of old rivals in a supposedly tight match, the athletic, technically gifted Germans gave the slow and ponderous English a footballing lesson. The game ended 4-1, but it could have been more. England is now out of a competition that some pundits gave them a shot at winning.
The first goal was all about the pace and power of German striker Miroslav Klose. He latched onto a long through ball from the goalkeeper, brushed off England defender Matthew Upson, before flicking the ball past onrushing goalie David James. Germany was in the ascendancy now, with England’s defense in total disarray. A slick passing move saw Mueller play in Lukas Podolski on the left, and he slammed home through James’ legs.
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Then England somehow got back into the game, with Upson making up for his earlier mistake by heading in a cross from the right. 2-1.
The Three Lions suddenly looked dangerous. Straight from the kick-off the ball was threaded through to Jermain Defoe, who was tackled by a German defender. The ball broke for Frank Lampard, whose delightful chip beat the keeper, and hit the underside of the bar and dropped a full two feet over the line before bouncing clear. England celebrated, but the referee didn’t give the goal. The linesman, who had a close and unobstructed view, gave no signal, and England went in 2-1 down at half time. Revenge for Germany, who saw a dubious goal by England that bounced on the line n the 1966 final called in by a Russian linesman, but a bitter blow for England.
That moment was the turning point of the match. England had to attack in the second half and look for an equalizer, leaving even more holes in an already leaky defense. When Lampard’s free kick from 30 yards hit the wall as the clock ticked toward 70 minutes, Germany broke up field with pace. The defense was nowhere, and Bastian Schweinsteiger played a simple ball to Mueller, who fired in past James’ near post. The goalkeeper’s attempted save was weak, as for the first two goals, but he had been left horribly exposed.
England pressed again, but just three minutes later the outstanding Mesut Oezil broke clear down the left, crossing to the unmarked Mueller, who slotted as easy a goal as he’ll ever score. Germany were through, and England’s World Cup over.
Afterwards, England coach Fabio Capello complained bitterly about Lampard’s goal that wasn’t. It was an appalling decision, and another argument for those who would like to see video replay technology used. It is used successfully in other sports such as rugby and hardly holds up the game, while helping referees make tough decisions.
But the goal controversy shouldn’t distract from England’s woeful performance and tournament. The defense was appalling. Upson, who looked completely out of his depth at this level, was tormented al day by Klose. Former captain John Terry was run ragged by the quick attackers. And full backs Ashley Cole and Glen Johnson were frequently caught out of position.
The midfield provided no service for the strikers, and generally shot with no power or accuracy. Wayne Rooney, England’s star man who is widely seen as the third best player in the world, was absent for long stretches, and seemed not to have fully recovered from his injury near the end of the Premier League season.
It was a dreadful championship for England, a side full of star individuals who never managed to put their undoubted talents together into a cohesive team display. It’s unclear where they will go from here, with Capello having signed a new contract just before the tournament began. Something clearly has to change, otherwise we may not even see England in Ukraine
