When England play Germany in their round-of-16 match in London on Tuesday, they can look at some history to cheer them up. The two sides have been engaged in some epic battles on the football field since 1930, including the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley which England won 4-2.
Overall Germany have their nose ahead in international rivalries, winning 15 of 32 competitive matches.
England have won 13 and four games have been drawn.
The Telegraph takes a look at some epic football clashes between these two footballing giants.
1966: ENGLAND 4, WEST GERMANY 2, Wembley Stadium, London
England’s only World Cup title came in a match marked by Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick, the only one in a final in the competition’s history.
His second goal remains a subject of controversy: Germans still believe the ball didn’t cross the line after striking the crossbar.
1970: WEST GERMANY 3, ENGLAND 2, Estadio Nou Camp, Leon (Mexico)
The Germans were trailing 2-0 in the quarter final of the World Cup in Mexico when Franz Beckenbauer began the recovery midway through the second half. Captain Uwe Seeler equalised to take the game into extra time in which Gerd Muller scored to send England packing.
The England team give the Nazi salute at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin in 1938. Twitter
1990: WEST GERMANY 1, ENGLAND 1 (West Germany won 4-3 on penalties), Stadio delle Alpi, Turin
Andreas Brehme, who would win the tournament for West Germany with his penalty in the final against Argentina, put his team ahead in the 60th minute in the World Cup semi-final in Italy. Gary Lineker equalised 20 minutes later to take the game into extra time, which could not break the deadlock. West Germany converted all their spot kicks but Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle missed for England to leave the team in tears.
1996: ENGLAND 1, GERMANY 1 (Germany won 6-5 on penalties), Wembley Stadium, London
One game England coach Gareth Southgate would want to forget. England’s Euro 1996 campaign had been given a boost with their 4-1 victory over The Netherlands in the group stages.
But like in so many tournaments before (and in future), the Germans stood between them and a place in the final. Still, Wembley erupted when Alan Shearer put the home team ahead in the third minute only for Stefan Kuntz to cancel the goal just after the quarter-hour. There was no separating the sides sending the game to penalties. Southgate stepped up for the first effort of sudden death but missed. The Germans duly converted their shot to reach the final, which they won.
2001: ENGLAND 5, GERMANY 1, Olympic Stadium, Munich
England’s greatest performance against their biggest rivals came in Munich in a qualifying match for the 2002 World Cup on September 1, 2001. The hosts took the lead but a hat-trick from Michael Owen and goals from his Liverpool teammates Steven Gerrard and Emile Heskey gave England a famous victory, their first over Germany in competitive football since the 1966 World Cup final.
England’s Nazi salute, Olympic Stadium, Berlin, 1938
On May 14, 1938, the England team met Germany in a friendly at Berlin’s Swastika-covered Olympic Stadium, where some 1.15 lakh people had gathered. The match is remembered more for what happened before kick-off. During the playing of the German national anthem, the England players joined their opponents in giving the Nazi salute. This was done apparently on instructions from Neville Chamberlain’s “appeasement” government and came as a huge PR boost to Adolf Hitler’s regime. For the record, England won 6-3. The two nations would be at war in a little over a year.
