Euro 2020: England beat Germany 2-0 to enter quarter-finals

England captain Harry Kane celebrates after scoring a goal against Germany (Source: Reuters)

England reached the quarter-finals of the European Championship with a 2-0 win over rivals Germany after Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane scored second-half goals at Wembley on Tuesday. Notably, this is the first time since the 1996 World Cup final that England have defeated Germany in the knockout match of a major tournament.

In the first half, both teams tried hard but weren't able to score. There were chances but both the goalkeepers ensured no goal was scored. The intense first witnessed a gripping game but both England and Germany kept their hopes in the Round of 16 match.

However, England took the lead in the 75th minute when Luke Shaw squared the ball from the left flank to find Sterling, who had started the move and finished it with a tap-in from the edge of the six-yard box as the home crowd erupted.

[?] RESULT [?]

Sterling & Kane net as England reach the quarter-finals
Germany lose in the round of 16 at a major tournament for the first time.

Fair result at Wembley Stadium?#EURO2020

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) June 29, 2021

Kane scored the second in the 86th minute when substitute Jack Grealish crossed the ball and the England captain rushed in to beat goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and nod home. With this, Kane equalled Wayne Rooney's record of seven goals scored at major tournaments for England.

Although the 43,000 strong crowd at Wembley created a deafening atmosphere once England were in front, Southgate was aware of the perils of getting lost in the buzz ahead of a quarter-final tie in Rome on Saturday. "It didn’t really need me to say it but when we got in the dressing room, we were talking about Saturday already because today’s been an immense performance but emotionally and physically at a cost," Southgate told a news conference.

"We’ve got to recover well, and (make sure) mentally we’re in the right space. It’s a dangerous moment for us. We’ll have that warmth of success... and we know it’s going to be an immense challenge from here on. The players know that. Their feet are on the ground, they feel confident from the way they’ve played. But, of course, we came here with an intention and we’ve not achieved that yet."

Earlier, England keeper Jordan Pickford did well to keep out Timo Werner before tipping over a stinging volley from Kai Havertz. At the other end, Mats Hummels denied Kane with a last-ditch clearance just before halftime.

England will play either Sweden or Ukraine, who meet later on Tuesday in Glasgow in the final last-16 match.