WHO says the Germans haven’t got a sense of humour?
As the stunned locals in the 71,000 crowd started to make their weary way
home, a familiar tune came over the sound system.
Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.
Life, though, couldn’t be looking brighter for Roy Hodgson, his players and
the 5,000 delirious England fans, who were in the Olympic Stadium to witness
this remarkable victory from 2-0 down.
Wonderful goals from Harry Kane and substitute Jamie Vardy — Herr Flick —
seemed to give England the draw they deserved.
But that was before Kane’s Tottenham team-mate Eric Dier scored the winner in
the first minute of injury-time.
This thrilling victory at the home of the world champions — with 19-year-old
Dele Alli at the heart of it — sets up all sorts of possibilities at Euro
2016 this summer after the disappointment of England’s 2-0 defeat by Spain
in Alicante last November.
It will also raise some serious questions about the international future of
missing, injured England skipper Wayne Rooney. But first a word of warning.
Let us not get too carried away despite the attacking splendour of this
stunning result.
Back in 2001, we had the 5-1 miracle of Munich.
Yet the following year it was Germany who reached the World Cup Final.
In 2008, the last time we came to Berlin, England won again — this time 2-1.
But two years later, having qualified as the highest goalscorers in Europe,
England produced what was probably their worst-ever performance at a World
Cup.
So let’s hose ourselves down, cool down and keep things in perspective.
However difficult.
Because the Germans, despite this defeat, will not be going into a terminal
decline. Rest assured, though, they will turn up in France this summer as
the team to beat.
Having said that, let us all bathe in the warm afterglow of another famous
victory on German soil.
The most impressive thing about last night was the way England’s young lions
refused to be brow-beaten by Joachim Low’s side.
At 2-0 down it seemed the game was beyond them.
But young players have no fear. They know no boundaries.
Anything is possible — especially when you are having the sort of seasons
currently being enjoyed by Kane and Vardy.
At the same time, few would have believed a team of such tender years — and
with just 161 caps between them — could have launched this sort of comeback.
Especially after England had lost goalkeeper Jack Butland to injury and, at
the same time, handed their hosts a 1-0 lead just before the break.
The Stoke stopper injured himself making a clearance, stayed on and the
limping keeper could not keep out a long-range Toni Kroos shot at the near
post.
When Mario Gomez then climbed above the England defence to send a well-placed
header beyond Forster — after the sub keeper had somehow kept out a Marco
Reus free-kick — it seemed all over.
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But then in the week we bade a fond farewell to maestro Johan Cruyff, we were
privileged to witness the Kane Turn.
Picking up a corner at the back of the box, the Tottenham star performed a
180-degree turn before crashing a 61st-minute shot across German keeper
Manuel Neuer and inside the far post.
It was his fourth goal in nine England games and one that any international
striker would be proud to call his own.
Enter Vardy.
Low had spoken of just how impressed he had been with the Leicester striker
and knew all about his blinding turn of pace.
But even he was left open-mouthed with the quality of Vardy’s 74th-minute
equaliser just three minutes after he had come on.
Arriving in the box at just the right moment and with all the grace of a
gazelle he met Nathaniel Clyne’s low cross with a scarcely believable flick
with his instep.
Neuer never saw it coming.
We would have all have settled for that looking at where the starting point in
the recovery had been. But, no, there was more.
With just six minutes left, Vardy did brilliantly to win the ball and pull the
ball back perfectly for Alli with only Neuer to beat.
He couldn’t miss. Except he did as he blazed the ball over the bar.
Yet incredibly, England were not to be denied.
As the game went into injury time, Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson sent over a
cross from the right.
And there was Dier, holding off Gomez, to direct a firm header into the back
of the net.
It set off the sort of party that will probably still be raging even as you
read this now.
Yes, we qualified well for Euro 2016 but we didn’t actually beat anyone.
Yes, we beat Euro hosts France 2-0 at Wembley in November but that was a few
days after the bombers struck in Paris.
This, though, is different.
We could make the excuse that the Germans didn’t play very well — and they
didn’t.
But that should not take away from the magnitude of England’s win and the
display of kids like Alli, Kane and Dier.
Now we go forward into Tuesday’s game against the Netherlands at Wembley
almost pinching ourselves.
Let’s just keep our feet on the ground, though.
We know how it has a nasty habit of all going wrong.