While all the reminders of past encounters, penalty shoot-outs and ‘curses’ ahead of England’s last-16 meeting with Germany resonate with many, for those who will play at Wembley on Tuesday it is ancient – and largely irrelevant – history. England have lost to Germany in their last three knockout meetings at major tournaments, in 1990, 1996 and 2010, with the first two coming after penalty shoot-outs in the semi-finals being particularly painful. Gareth Southgate, the England manager, famously missed the crucial spot kick in the Euro 96 loss but 12 members of his squad were not even born at that time and the oldest member of his squad, Kyle Walker, was only six.
“I don’t really think about the past, whatever has happened has happened – the only thing we can do is be in the present,” said England winger Raheem Sterling, who has scored both of his team`s goals in the tournament so far. “I don’t really get caught up in the rivalry at all,” he added.
Full-back Kieran Trippier was a little cheekier in his positive take on a question about the history of the fixture. “As you look back down the years on games against Germany, the one that stands out to me was when we won 5-1 in Germany itself,” he said.
That game, a World Cup qualifier in 2001, with Michael Owen scoring a hat-trick in Munich, proved to be a false dawn and there is a fear among some England followers that the excitement around Southgate’s crop of talented young players may end in similar disappointment.
Germany coach Joachim Loew, who stands down after this tournament, had looked to rejuvenate his squad after their disappointment in the World Cup in 2018 but there is still an experienced core to his team. The midfield pairing of Ilkay Gundogan, who won the Premier League with Manchester City and Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos will look to dictate the rhythm and tempo with Bayern Munich’s Thomas Mueller operating in front of them.
The UEFA Euro 2020 match between England and Germany will be played on Tuesday (June 29).
The UEFA Euro 2020 match between England and Germany will start at 9:30pm as per IST.
The UEFA Euro 2020 match between England and Germany will be played at the Wembley Stadium in London.
The UEFA Euro 2020 match between England and Germany will be telecast on Sony Ten 2 (HD), Sony Ten 3 (HD-Hindi). Sony Six (HD) and Sony Ten 4 (HD) will have regional coverage in India.
The livestreaming of the UEFA Euro 2020 match between England and Germany is available on the Sony Liv app and the website.
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