The last time England played in a knockout match at a World Cup ended in absolute disaster in Bloemfontein eight years ago, as Fabio Capello’s ageing Golden Generation were absolutely mauled by a younger, fresher Germany side, condemning the Three Lions to their heaviest ever World Cup defeat.
Like in 2006 England had stuttered through the group stage, drawing with the USA and Algeria before beating Slovenia in an unconvincing performance to make it through to the knockout phase. But any England fans hoping that their tournament would kick-start from there were sorely mistaken. Capello’s flat 4-4-2 formation and pedestrian tactics were simply no match for the verve and pace of the likes of Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller.
Disaster struck early on – Matthew Upson fatally allowed a long punt from keeper Manuel Neuer to bounce, and that let Miroslav Klose slip in to slot past David James. 12 minutes later Germany struck again, as loose marking allowed Lukas Podolski to find enough space to squeeze a second goal past James.
England did strike back minutes later – Upson rising like a salmon to head Steven Gerrard’s cross home, but when Frank Lampard’s apparent equaliser was chalked off incorrectly by the referee despite the ball crossing the line, the writing was on the wall.
Forced to push for another goal in the second half, England simply left too many gaps at the back and Gareth Barry, in particular, was exposed as woefully lacking pace. Germany added two more goals on the counter through Thomas Muller, and in the end, England were well beaten.