| Dates: 11 June-11 July. Venues: Amsterdam, Baku, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Glasgow, London, Munich, Rome, Seville, St Petersburg. Coverage: Live on BBC TV, BBC Radio, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app. Click here for more details |
England’s European Championship campaign exploded into life with a crescendo of noise following a historic 2-0 victory over Germany at a raucous Wembley.
Forward Raheem Sterling took his tally to three in four games by slotting in the opening goal and Harry Kane finally got off the mark with a second late on.
The Three Lions picked up their first win over rivals Germany at a major tournament for the first time since 1966 and the performance had former players and pundits singing their praises.
‘The stuff of dreams’
Around 40,000 spectators were in attendance in the capital, witnessing an all-round England performance in which they largely subdued Germany to knock the three-time winners out.
“The fans will be singing all the way home,” said former England defender Rio Ferdinand on BBC One. “What a moment, my kids are here and it is a beautiful moment to be here, given what we have all been through as a country with the pandemic, this is fantastic to see.
“We have been waiting for this. To feel the energy in here. It is the stuff of dreams. This will live on forever.”
Former England midfielder Jermaine Jenas said on BBC One: “You know what, you’ve got to be really proud of the players. Its a huge, huge moment for [manager] Gareth Southgate.
“The players have to go out there and deliver in such a pressurised situation they put a gameplan together and stuck to it, and to a man they were absolutely brilliant.”
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‘Not pretty but the England way’
Gareth Southgate’s side started with a win against Croatia, their first victory in an opening game at the Euros, followed by a goalless draw against Scotland and edging past the Czech Republic.
England are yet to concede in the tournament after their first four games, a feat last achieved when they won the World Cup in 1966.
Questions were raised by pundits and fans before kick-off when Southgate selected a defensive team, leaving the attacking talents of Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford on the bench.
Ferdinand said: “We hadn’t won our opening game [at a Euros]. We got rid of that. We hadn’t beaten Germany. We got rid of that.
“This team are breaking down barriers. Everyone was saying we’re too negative, we don’t take risks. Southgate has a gameplan to be hard to beat. These guys are playing for their manager. You can tell.”
Former England midfielder Karen Carney said on BBC Radio 5 Live: “It might not be pretty, it might not be the most attractive way but it’s the England way and we’re getting it done.”
‘Experienced players stepped up’
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had another impressive game, staying composed when required and making saves at crucial times.
He smothered Timo Werner’s low strike before pulling off an acrobatic stop to deny Chelsea’s Champions League-winning goalscorer Kai Havertz.
The Everton goalkeeper caught the eye of the watching public too, topping BBC Sport’s Player Rater with a mark of 7.72.
“For Jordan Pickford in an England shirt, he has not let Gareth Southgate down once which is why he continually plays him,” said Jenas.
“You don’t win games like this under this pressure unless you have characters and leaders and players that turn up.”
Carney said: “Key moments – experienced players stepped up, Jordan Pickford was sensational, Kieran Trippier and Harry Kane had their moments. They look exhausted – I hope they can recover and go again.
“This group has the experience – the fans are loving it. They’ve got the experienced players, they know how to get the job done.”
There was praise for Sterling, who has now scored 15 goals in his last 20 England games, with ex-Germany head coach Jurgen Klinsmann saying: “I’m a huge fan of Raheem Sterling.
“He takes people on, he’s courageous and he helps out defensively too. He’s very disciplined in his game, he’s very mature for his game.”
Ferdinand asked: “Please can we put some respect next to Raheem Sterling’s name?”
‘This is England’s moment’
Germany last won the tournament in 1996 when they triumphed at Wembley against the Czech Republic – a team captained by Klinsmann.
And he had some advice for the current England team.
“You have to recognise the moment,” he said. “This is England’s moment. You’ve got to realise if you go through the quarter-final you play a semi-final here, and you maybe have a sell-out crowd in the final.
“It’s not going to be an easy road to the final, but it’s doable. Now they have showed the belief, Harry Kane broke through and the energy is high.
“You’ve got to take advantage of that and win this all.”
