Germany hammers England..

14:00 GMT, June 27, 2010
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa





Germany
4 - 1
England

England were hammered 4-1 by Germany in the second round of the World Cup, but the spotlight fell on the officials after they missed an obvious equaliser for Fabio Capello's men just before half-time.

The 'goal' which was not given..

After Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski had put Germany 2-0 up early on, Matthew Upson got one back but then Frank Lampard's goal was ruled out after the ball bounced down off the bar, despite it landing a yard over the line.

When Lampard's effort went in, only for assistant Mauricio Espinosa to miss it, grainy images of England's controversial third at Wembley in 1966 immediately sprang to mind. To his total disbelief, Capello's celebrations of what would have been an equaliser were cut short. Everyone in the ground, except the men who mattered, knew what had happened.

Germany made the most of their good fortune to book a quarter-final place, with what turned out to be their biggest win over a rival they have not lost to in a major tournament since the 1966 final. For England, it was their joint-biggest ever defeat at a World Cup.

Scoring Summary

Germany	England
Miroslav Klose (20')	Matthew Upson (37')
Lukas Podolski (32')
Thomas Müller (67')
Thomas Müller (70')

Match Stats

Germany

England

17(7)	Shots (on Goal)	19(9)
7	Fouls	6
4	Corner Kicks	6
4	Offsides	2
48%	Time of Possession	52%
1	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
6	Saves	2

Match Information

Stadium:	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Attendance:	40,510
Match Time:	14:00 GMT
Official(s):	Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay)

Man of the Match: Thomas Muller

MATCH SUMMARY

Man of the Match: Thomas Muller - Identified by Wayne Rooney as a big threat before the game, Muller scored two and set-up the Lukas Podolski goal that put Germany 2-0 up. The Bayern Munich forward was industrious and full of running down the right and always offered an outlet; he took his two goals with fantastic composure. Honourable mention must go to England goalkeeper David James who tried in vain to thwart Germany with a number of smart stops.

Germany verdict:Very impressive in attack but question marks still remain about their defensive capabilities; they will need to improve if they are to triumph over a more clinical side than England in the quarter-finals, especially if Argentina are the opponents. However, there are numerous positives to take, with Miroslav Klose proving his international finishing prowess once again and the likes of Muller, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mesut Ozil providing boundless energy. Impressive on the counter-attack and the victory was thoroughly deserved.

England verdict: Could have been so different had Frank Lampard's first-half strike counted when Capello's side were very much in the ascendancy. But they were beaten by a youthful and more energetic Germany team, who took advantage of defensive lapses in concentration. Wayne Rooney was once again disappointing and though England did look bright after the second goal, they were unable to demonstrate the sort of ruthless streak that their opponents displayed in abundance.

Could do better: England's defence.The lack of pace of England's centre-back pairing was embarrassingly exposed by Joachim Low's side; John Terry and Matthew Upson's joint mistake for the first goal would have looked at home on a Sunday League pitch. Gareth Barry also looked woeful as a defensive midfielder and provided a distinct lack of protection for the back four. It would be easy to blame the assistant referee, but England defended apallingly.

Stat attack: This was the third time in World Cup history that England conceded four goals, previous four-goal hauls were achieved by Belgium and Hungary in 1954.