Germany 2-3 England: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Eric Dier score to ensure Three Lions launch impressive comeback in Berlin
- Toni Kroos opened the scoring for the world champions in the first half before Mario Gomez added second
- Stoke keeper Jack Butland sustained injury shortly before Kroos' strike which came shortly before the half-time break
- Harry Kane pulled a goal back for England before substitute Jamie Vardy equalised with a delightful flicked effort
- Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier then scored winning goal for the Three Lions in the 90th minute
When Eric Dier rose above Andre Schurrle and emphatically headed home in the 90th minute, England recorded their third successive win on German soil. More pointedly, they had turned around a game which looked lost at 2-0 down on 58 minutes.
As it was, their German hosts were the ones jeered off having surrendered their lead and England who had delivered a healthy dose of optimism in the run up to Euro 2016.
Tottenham and England midfielder Eric Dier (right) beams with joy after scoring England's winning goal in the 90th minute
Substitute Jamie Vardy celebrates his impressive equaliser against the world champions as England came from behind to claim win
Harry Kane raises his arm in celebration of his 61st-minute goal shortly after beating Germany keeper Manuel Neuer
Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos (left) is congratulated by Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil after scoring in the first half
The Germany midfielder capitalises on Butland's injury by shooting from distance to beat the goalkeeper from outside the penalty area
Germany striker Mario Gomez wheels away in celebration after doubling his side's lead by scoring in the 61st minute
Roy Hodgson will be hugely encouraged though he won’t know quite what to make of a game which fluctuated like the weather on an English spring day. England had an attacking ingenuity rarely seen; yet they had a defensive naivety which is all too often observed.
In fact, England’s young experimental side attacked with such gusto and created so many opportunities that the coming days will be dominated by just where the absent captain, Wayne Rooney, fits into this team.
Harry Kane and Dele Alli suddenly looked established England stars; Jamie Vardy, too, when he came on. Danny Welbeck simply resumed where he left off his England career, offering consistent excellence.
And had Alli been able to crown a fine performance on 83 minutes, when teed up by the excellent Vardy for the simplest of chances, England might have secured the lead earlier. As it was, they chose their moment well, with Dier heading home in the 90th minute.
England had apparently forgotten their proper kit and were wearing some pale red and maroon abomination. At least, initially, on the pitch, they were more pleasing on the eye. There was some notable progress in the early stages with Dier dropping into what effectively became a back three at times to distribute the ball from the back to give the team shape desired flexibility.
Alli resumed international duties with the fearlessness and application of a man many years his senior. Adam Lallana harried and hassled his German counterparts. Welbeck looked lively. England looked almost like a modern international team. Germany were less impressive early on, cumbersome in their distribution and not terribly fluent. Neither side was electrifying, however. It all had the feel of the prelude rather than the big event itself.
England threatened first from a Jordan Henderson corner, which was met by a Gary Cahill header in the eighth minute. Kane did his best to get on the end of it but could only touch it wide. Germany responded as Jack Butland had to be quick off his line in the 14th minute to meet a Mats Hummels header and Marco Reus shot wide on 14 minutes.
The 23-year-old goalkeeper sits on the turf after picking up the injury during the first half of the international friendly match in Berlin
Gomez (circled) had a first-half effort wrongly ruled out for offside as Nathaniel Clyne played the Germany striker on
Lallana then put his energetic pressing to good effect, winning the ball in midfield, with the ball being worked to Welbeck, who in turn touched it to Alli, who ultimately shot over on 17 minutes. Welbeck then repeated Lallana’s trick of winning possession inside Germany half and fed Nathaniel Clyne for what might have been a delightful passage of play had the full back not pulled his cross behind Lallana. Kane then rushed past Sami Khedira but he also pulled the crucial pass back behind his man. Still, England looked energetic and probing. It seemed hopeful.
Warning signs soon begun to flash, however. When Khedira fed Mario Gomez on 27 minutes, the striker broke clear of England’s back four and found the far corner of the net, beating Butland. The assistant referee curtailed the celebrations with a flag, which wholly ignored the fact that Clyne playing Gomez onside. England were spared, for now.
Undeterred, they might still have taken the lead when Kane fed Welbeck on 38 minutes, the Arsenal man finding his shot blocked. Nevertheless, the rebound fell to Lallana on the edge of the box and yet he fired wastefully over.
And any growing sense of hopefulness was swiftly punctured prior to the half-time break. Butland appeared to injure himself making a hasty clearance; Germany resumed possession with Khedira feeing Toni Kroos. England gave him space and time as he closed in on goal and the Real Madrid man tried his luck, sending a swerving dipping shot beyond Butland and into the corner of the net. It was a fine strike from distance yet England should never have allowed him the opportunity.
Butland is carried off on a stretcher after sustaining an injury shortly before Germany's opener just two minutes before the half-time break
Gomez's low shot beat England goalkeeper Jack Butland but the Italian officials wrongly disallowed his first-half effort
And perhaps Butland might have moved quicker had he not been injured. His injury was clearly a serious one and resulted in him being carried off in tears, with Fraser Forster coming before play resumed. It was a sour note on which to finish the half.
England survived an early scare in the second half, Butland saving sharply when Antonio Rudiger. But they should have equalised on 52 minutes when an awful error by Emre Can, failing to see the ball out, allowed Welbeck to turn and set up Henderson. Ten yards out Henderson stuck but couldn’t avoid the German bodies in defence and saw his strike deflected over.
Soon, though they were paying for the laxness in defence yet again. Once more, generous space was afforded to a German midfielder, this time Sami Khedira. He floated a ball towards Gomez who had found space in-between Clyne and Cahill and planted his header beyond Forster for 2-0 on 57 minutes.
And when Jonas Hector raced into space down the left a minute later and crossed for Ozil, who forced a Forster save, there were echoes of Bloemfontein. England seemed to be reeling. Yet, within minutes, they had re-established a foothold in the game thanks to a moment of individual skill from Kane.
Germany seemed to have cleared and England corner and Ozil apparently ushering the ball out of the box. But Kane wouldn’t let it go, won the ball and then executed an exquisite back heel and turn which saw him engineer a strike on goal. Even then he had to shoot acroos Can and past Neuer but he managed both to pull the score back to 2-1 on 61 minutes.
There was a renewed surge of confidence about England. One particularly fine, flowing move with Kane and Welbeck involved resulted in Alli being played in close on goal and really the Tottenham player should have finished, allowing Neuer to save. But you couldn’t fault the inventiveness.
On came Ross Barkley and Vardy and within minutes England resurgence was complete. Barkley broke quickly from midfield, fed Clyne who surged forward and crossed for Vardy, who fooled both marker and keeper with a delightful flick, managing to score with his trailing leg.
The Italian official raises his flag to rule Gomez's goal out for offside, the Besiktas forward was in the process of celebrating
Valencia manager Gary Neville keeps a close eye on England's players during the pre-match warm up at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin
Germany and England players line up as they sing their respective national anthems ahead of the friendly match in Berlin
Both sets of players pay their respects to the victims of the Brussels terrorist attacks by observing a minute's silence before the match
Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli (right) keeps a close eye on Arsenal playmaker Ozil (left) during the early stages of the match
Stoke goalkeeper Butland, who stepped in to deputise for the injured Joe Hart, is called into action early on in Germany
Alli (right) takes on Germany's Antonio Rudiger (left) as he looks to impress on only his fifth international appearances for the Three Lions
Liverpool attacking midfielder Adam Lallana takes aim at Neuer's goal however his effort goes sailing over the woodwork
Liverpool's Jordan Henderson keeps a close eye on fellow midfielder Khedira as he aims to win back possession for his side
Chris Smalling and Danny Welbeck look dejected after seeing England concede while the injured Butland shows his frustration
The injured Butland dives in vain as Kroos manages to find a way of beating the England and Stoke goalkeeper at his near post
England's stand-in captain Gary Cahill, Lallana and Eric Dier look disappointed after the Three Lions fall behind in Berlin
Butland looks back at the ball after being beaten, he was replaced by Southampton's Fraser Forster after conceding before half-time
Kane pulled a goal back for England to help the Three Lions claim an impressive win against the world champions in Berlin
Goalscorer Vardy replaces Welbeck in the 71st minute before playing a major role in England's impressive comeback victory
Vardy is congratulated by Smalling (left) and Rose (right) following his 75th-minute equaliser against the world champions
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