England v Germany: The most memorable games in history

ITV News Sports Editor Steve Scott has all the details of Tuesday's game


England matches against Germany have always been memorable fixtures from 1966 to 2010 and everything in between.

They never pass without incident and are often won and lost by the tightest of margins.

Ahead of England's Euro 2020 clash with Germany at Wembley on Tuesday, we take a look at some of the great games between the two countries.

Germany 4 England 1, Bloemfontein, June 2010

It was the last time the two countries met at a major tournament, and it will always be remembered for Frank Lampard's non-goal.

The Chelsea midfielder chipped Manuel Neuer from outside the area, before watching his shot bounce off the crossbar and down two yards over the line.

The goalkeeper, diving back, dragged the ball out of the net with those inside the stadium and watching on TV expecting a goal to be acknowledged, only for the officials to indicate the ball had not crossed the line in the days before VAR.

Had the goal been rightly awarded, it would have made the score 2-2 and given England the momentum, as Matthew Upson had recently halved the deficit. Instead, it turned into a long afternoon for Fabio Capello's side after Thomas Muller scored twice in the second-half to put the Germans out of sight and England out of the 2010 World Cup.

Germany 1 England 5, Munich, September 2001

Few could have anticipated when Carsten Jancker gave Germany the lead what was to come next in at the Olympiastadion.

Michael Owen, in his prime, changed the course of the game with a fine hat-trick, but he was not the only Liverpool player on the scoresheet, as Steven Gerrard and Emile Heskey also netted for Sven-Goran Eriksson's side, as England inflicted only the second-ever home defeat on Germany in World Cup qualifying.

England 0 Germany 1, Wembley, October 2000

Kevin Keegan quit after the loss in 2000. Credit: PA

The final England match to be held at the old Wembley was a damp squib.

In pouring rain, Dietmar Hamann scored the only goal of the game with a zipping free-kick from 35 yards besting David Seaman, who failed to build a man wall to prevent the shot flashing along the turf and into the bottom corner.

The anti-climatic defeat ended with Kevin Keegan resigning - a decision made in a toilet cubicle - soon after full-time, to add a footnote to the historic occasion. England 1 Germany 1 (Germany win 6-5 on penalties), Wembley, June 1996

Gareth Southgate, like most of England's population, will never forget losing to Germany in the semi-finals of the European Championships on home soil.

Alan Shearer and Stefan Kuntz exchanged goals to send the match to extra-time.

England almost won it in the dying embers of the game when Shearer volleyed the ball across the box, only to see Paul Gascoigne's outstretched leg not reach far enough to divert into an empty net.

Instead the match went to penalties, ending with Andreas Moller smashing the deciding spot-kick down the middle after Southgate had seen the previous one saved.

Bryan Robson, the former assistant manager in 1996 and in charge of penalties, told ITV News how the team did not prepare for more than five penalties.

He said: "I just said, look, whatever you're doing - and Tony left it with me - I just said, whatever you're doing and pick your spot and concentrate on it and just strike the ball really well.

"And so the lads practice every day leading into that game, in fact, you know, before the quarter as well, the lads were practicing."

He added: "And probably the one thing is right, I should've said, well, who's going to be the next two who fancies a penalty."


Former Assistant Manager and ex-England captain Bryan Robson says the team did not prepare for more than five penalties in 1996

Robson said: "But in saying that the lads don't really know what the team's going to be until the manager announces the team.

"So when I thought Paul Ince would definitely take a pen, you know, once it got past the first five, cause we're really confident with the first five penalty takers, but Gareth stepped up and he was man enough to say, look, I, you know, I, I don't mind taking a penalty."

He continued: "You know, which was little bit on fortunate, but you've got to say the Germans when it comes to penalty shoot outs, they always take some great pens - I don't know what their mentality is and you know, who coaches them on that.

"But you know, our first five penalties were brilliant pens - and usually that is enough to take you through.

Germany 1 England 1 (Germany won 4-3 on penalties), Turin, July 1990

Our old friend penalties had previously reared their ugly head at the 1990 World Cup, where the Germans also got the better of England.

Gary Lineker sent the game into extra-time with a late leveller after Andreas Brehme’s deflected free-kick deceived Peter Shilton.

It was not the only shot to leave the veteran England goalkeeper flapping, as he got nowhere near any of Germany's penalties, meaning Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle's failures from the spot were fatal for England.

Germany 3 England 2, Leon, June 1970

Gerd Muller scored the winner in 1970. Credit: PA

Germany were out for revenge after losing the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley in extra-time.

The fixture was going the same way as four years previously, with Alan Mullery and Martin Peters putting England two goals ahead.

Goalkeeper Peter Bonetti was deputising for the legendary Gordon Banks, who was suffering from food poisoning.

Bonetti let a Franz Beckenbauer shot go under him, before Uwe Seeler levelled things to force extra-time. Germany's talisman, Gerd Muller, struck to send England out and earn retribution.

England 4 West Germany 2, Wembley, July 1966

The greatest day in the history of English football, as Alf Ramsey's side won the World Cup, a trophy they had not lifted before nor since, on home soil.

Geoff Hurst hit a hat-trick for the hosts, including a goal which is still debated to this day as to whether it crossed the line after bouncing down off the crossbar.

Hurst's final goal flew into the back of the net as Kenneth Wolstenholme exclaimed the immortal words: “Some people are on the pitch, they think it’s all over. It is now."