Most of England will be angry over the missed Frank Lampard goal but when they have all settled down over a cup of tea, the 4-1 defeat to Germany in the 2010 World Cup finals last 16 clash would have exposed their team to be nothing more than great pretenders filled with Premier League stars who were either over the hill or made to be more than they truly were.
There will be questions asked over how the only three men that mattered in the whole stadium could miss a certain goal that the rest of the world could see even without video technology, and whether the end result could have been different had England drawn themselves back in the game with that ghost of a goal, but the way in which Germany totally outplayed a disappointing England clearly showed that the previous game against Slovenia was only an aberration, and not a true reflection of the Three Lions’ potential.
Even after Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski had put Germany into a 2-0 lead before Matthew Upson pegged them back with a goal, the Germans had several more chances to embarrass England well before Lampard crashed his shot against the bar which then came back down and over the line. It was the same story in the second half as the Three Lions defence was cut to shreds time and again by the clever and incisive play from the well oiled German machine.
Germany can afford themselves a smile now as some measure of revenge would be felt in their minds after a similar incident in the 1966 World Cup final between the two countries. Then, West Germany were adamant that Geoff Hurst’s shot never crossed the line as it came back down off the bar, but the goal stood for England and eventually saw them become champions of the world.
The Three Lions’ class of 2010 would never have come close after a group stage that left coach Fabio Capello befuddled with their inability to deal with the “fear”, and the Italian was again seeing the same display in the second round when it really mattered.
There will be media calls for the former AC Milan and Real Madrid champion to step down from his post after failing to guide England to the one trophy they have always thought belonged to them, but in truth, Capello had been let down by players when it mattered most.
Thomas Muller scored a brace after half time to take the game completely beyond the reach of England, but while the youthful Germans showed the way with an attacking flair that belied their age, England were made to look ponderous and lead footed with Wayne Rooney – so often made to look like a world beater by the English press and his own outspoken proclamations – once again made to look less than ordinary.
While England’s defenders were clearly a weak link with players like John Terry, Glen Johnson and Matthew Upson hopelessly outclassed on football’s biggest stage, the Manchester United star is clearly a shadow of his previously lethal self at Old Trafford. Comparisons between him and Lionel Messi now look laughable after another World Cup campaign that ended with no goals and plenty of recriminations thereafter.
John Terry was clearly at fault for not dealing with the long punt from goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, thinking that it would bounce back all the way to David James. Instead, Klose sneaked behind the Chelsea defender – so often claiming to be the leader of men but ducking responsibility when it mattered most – and shrugged off Upson’s weak challenge to toe poke the ball beyond James for Germany’s opening goal.
The second goal 12 minutes later again exposed the static English defence as Muller latched onto Klose’s pass on the right before laying the ball off to Podolski at the far post, whose cool finish from a tight angle left James fuming at his defenders with Glen Johnson once again exposed as a clear liability in the back four.
The Liverpool man had already been exposed time and again by Slovenia in the previous game but Capello had scant cover in that position. Amongst the things the Italian must do in the aftermath of a result that would surely have left his reputation tarnished would be to scour the land high and low for new talent.
If there is one quality that the English have, it must be courage in the face of adversity. Upson showed some of that together with captain Steven Gerrard as both combined to give England some hope with a goal that sparked another flurry of activity that eventually led to Lampard’s disallowed effort.
Lampard still found time to crash another shot off the crossbar seven minutes after half time but from then on they were systematically torn apart by a very vibrant German attack. To be fair, England had their fair share of chances but where their own defence would have buckled under the pressure, the Germans’ stood firm.
Tags: England, Germany, Match Highlights, Match Review, World Cup, World Cup 2010
