With the historic rematch between the two giants, it was a clash between a modern and energetic English side and a struggling German side. With this being Joachim Low’s last tournament, his side were desperate to go as far as possible in the knockout stages. However, it was not to be as Gareth Southgate’s men hit late with Raheem Sterling, followed by Harry Kane to seal the victory.
The English lined up in a 3-4-3 for the first time this tournament (they had been playing in a 4-2-3-1). The purpose was to stay solid defensively and not allow Germany to penetrate through the gaps. Their players did make the occasional run down the middle but were stopped effectively by Jordan Pickford and his defence. With Kyle Walker, John Stones, and Harry Maguire playing as the centre backs, they boasted an adequate mix of pace and physicality.
As for Germany, they started with their regular 3-4-3 with Kimmich and Gosens as wingbacks. This time around, Timo Werner started up front in place of Serge Gnabry. He was deployed with an intention of making swift runs to drag defenders and create space for his teammates. However, with England’s compact setup, it never materialized for Die Mannschaft.
Harry Kane, who had an extremely below par tournament up to this point, seemed off-colour for large portions of the game. His actions on the ball were scarce, which rendered his impact scanty. His actions in the first half included a heavy touch in front of goal, only for the ball to be tackled away by Mats Hummels in the last second. However, his fortune took a turn when Jack Grealish came on to bring immediate impact. His cross became the assist to the skipper’s opening goal of the tournament.
Germany, on the other hand, will be witnessing a rebuild with Hansi Flick taking over. With a year to go for the World Cup, the Germans will have a task at their hands.
