Adidas World Cup Mens Soft Ground Football Boots

Like a hot knife through butter went the play as the ball was launched with crystal precision right into the soft underbelly of a badly exposed rearguard with astonishing regularity and telling blows were struck again and again.

It wasn't meant to be like this. The received wisdom these days is that there are no longer and easy games in international football and that German stoicism and machine like efficiency would see them grind ...
...yet another World Cup finals, something which seems to have become almost the birthright of a country with little flair, but settles instead for the safety and clinical certainty of a BMW.

England had not beaten Germany on their home soil since 1965, the Germans had only lost one World Cup qualifying tie at home EVER, and that was after they had already secured their appearance in the 1986 finals. England had managed just one victory ... more

Like a hot knife through butter went the play as the ball was launched with crystal precision right into the soft underbelly of a badly exposed rearguard with astonishing regularity and telling blows were struck again and again.

It wasn't meant to be like this. The received wisdom these days is that there are no longer and easy games in international football and that German stoicism and machine like efficiency would see them grind out the draw which was all they needed to guarantee yet another World Cup finals, something which seems to have become almost the birthright of a country with little flair, but settles instead for the safety and clinical certainty of a BMW.

England had not beaten Germany on their home soil since 1965, the Germans had only lost one World Cup qualifying tie at home EVER, and that was after they had already secured their appearance in the 1986 finals. England had managed just one victory over the old enemy in competitive matches since the distant 1966 triumph. The Germans had exploited the weaknesses of dull English tactics and absent flair when terminating Kevin Keegan's ill fated management of the side with victory in the final football match at Wembley. England had been shown to be leaden footed and clumsy by an inspired Dutch team in their warm up game a fortnight ago, while the Germans had spread their wings with an expansive 5-2 win in Hungary the same night.

Considered opinion was that the best England could manage was a draw which would cement their place as group runners up and progress to the finals via the play off route.

The Germans had certainly bought into that script for they had booked a couple of friendly internationals on the day of the play offs, and old maestro Franz Beckenbauer had dismissed the thought of a defeat with curt complacency. Another former international, Uli Hoeness, had been quoted as saying "England haven't won in Germany for the past 100 years, how do they want to try this time?"

There had been some signs, however, of a spark of hope a week ago when Emile Heskey and Michael Owen had tormented the Bayern Munich defence in the Super Cup match as Liverpool had pulled the Germans apart in the first half. That side included Oliver Kahn, building a reputation as one of the outstanding goalkeepers in world football, and Thomas Linke, who both featured in the German international side, but in that game the customary German resilience had seen them grind their way back into the game. The unbiased expectation of the Germany-England game in Munich last night was for that resilience to strangle the life out of the game and leave England chasing shadows.

Well all those premonitions of gloom were simply blown away last night with startling authority by an England team showing power, precision and speed that was simply breathtaking. But this performance was not merely brute force and ignorance and the old gung ho spirit, but inventive, adroit, intelligent and sharply focused. It was quite simply the most outstanding display given by England against world class opposition ever, better than the 4-1 mauling of Holland in 1996, the 3-0 obliteration of Poland in 1986, even the World Cup triumph of 35 years ago - it was literally breathtaking.

Michael Owen had been in a rich vein of form this last five months, but on the night the Germans had no answer to his speed and directness as he plundered a hat trick, but the real difference was in midfield where Steven Gerrard and David Beckham gave the most authoritative of displays and obliterated supposedly gifted opponents. Paul Scholes' contribution was less lauded, but he played his part as England simply ran the show.

It was not all plain sailing, however, and when Sol Campbell found himself hopelessly out of position in the sixth minute the giant German spearhead Carsten Jancker clipped the ball deftly past David Seaman to give his side a deserved lead. For England had come slowly out of the starting blocks and been overwhelmed by a spirited German opening salvo. Sharp intakes of breath were heard everywhere, but gradually the England side started to get into gear and when they equalised in the thirteenth minute you could see the confidence oozing back into them.

The Germans had been thrown into panic mode minutes earlier by some straightforward England attacks and it was clear they were as brittle at the back as they had ever been. The three at the back, sweeper style has been the cornerstone of German supremacy this last twenty years and England had always found it just too effective to battle their way through. However, the current German players are simply not in the class of previous internationals and dealt shakily with some early forays.

A free kick from David Beckham was partially cleared and all the back line rushed out, but Gary Neville's smart stunned header back over them was ideal for Nicky Barmby to cushion a header back for Owen's deft volleyed finish. A wave of astonishment and glee rolled around the impressive stadium as Owen led the celebrations in wild eyed pleasure.

However, the Germans were still very much in the game and were unlucky not to score when wonder boy Sebastian Deisler was left clear with only Seaman to beat but mishit the ball harmlessly wide. The massive Jancker was proving a robust and aggressive danger and pushing Rio Ferdinand hard. The Leeds captain and Campbell were not over assured, although they did start to get their act together as the game drew on.

Jancker played a neat one two with Jorg Bohme on the edge of the area and England had to thank Seaman for a sharp and agile reaction save low to his right, but that proved to be a watershed moment and the Germans' last chance of any real note.

Seconds before the interval, the direction of the entire game changed fundamentally when Beckham threw in another cross from the right. Ferdinand cushioned the ball back for the onrushing Gerrard, who was having an inspiring game, and the Liverpool man lashed home a startling drive from 25 yards to give England the lead.

The English supporters in the crowd went wild and the mood never dropped from then until the end.

Owen scored a second just after the interval and that knocked the stuffing out of the game, allowing England to sit on their lead and strike on the break, allowing Owen to complete his hat trick and Heskey to add a fifth. It doesn't get much better than this and in the middle of the second half the England players could begin showboating. It was cruel and embarrassing for the Germans, and was reminiscent of the Leeds United side's torturing of Southampton back in 1972.

In one particularly emphatic moment, Gerrard dodged twice around a German and then turned back to him again to put the ball round him a third time and retain possession. The Germans looked dispirited and out of their depth and it was ample revenge for the last 35 years of dominance.

We were left with the introduction of Steve McManaman, Owen Hargreaves and Jamie Carragher to consolidate the victory and bolster the midfield and the very odd sight of McManaman running up and down the wing like a headless chicken with nowhere to go, but gesticulating wildly at his team mates to show them where to play the ball. He may have been under orders from Eriksson to kill off the game, but he just came over as a valueless adornment on the team. Hopefully, he will now finally be consigned to the international dumper.

Those low key moments aside, this was a wonderful, memorable, astonishing night for English football and put them firmly in the driving seat for World Cup qualification, but it was not so much the result as the performance which was the impressive thing. The record books will record a very one sided victory, but the mind's eye will recall a truly magnificent hour and a half of footballing history and a truly awesome England performance. Eriksson knew beforehand what his best eleven were and who would now doubt his judgement.

One could quibble over the defence and the left side of midfield, but in Gerrard, Scholes, Beckham, Heskey and Owen, this England side have the players to unsettle ANY defence ANYWHERE ANYTIME.
 

...less