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Slovenia 0-0 Czechia. In case you were wondering.
Half-time reading.
Essentially the final few seconds of the first half were Elliott keeping the ball for admin reasons.
Half-time: England 0-2 Germany
England have not deserved in the opening 45 minutes and twice been punished for lapses in concentration.
45+4 mins: The referee has a word with the captains … and then wanders off to the side.
45+3 mins: Everyone is standing around looking at a light has that gone out. The TV cameras make the overall light look decent but that is not a guarantee it’s fine to play in.
Floodlight failure
45+2 mins: ONE OF THE FLOODLIGHTS HAS GONE OUT.
45 mins: Two minutes added on.
44 mins: Elliott gets into another good position in the box and find Anderson but his cross hits a German arm, allowing them to clear. Is there a suggestion of handball? Not really but Joe Hart wants it because he is clutching at straws.
42 mins: Elliott tries to do it all by himself inside the area but his shot goes well over the bar.
40 mins: Hinshelwood gets in a dangerous position down the right and sends a cross into the corridor of uncertainty but there is one certainty … no English player is there to finish.
38 mins: England have had 60% but no shots on target, while German have had two and scored with both.
I tell a lie … Nwaneri cuts in off the right and shoots from 25 yards but it is straight at the goalkeeper.
36 mins: I think there will certainly be changes at the break now. England really are missing a central striker of real quality with Delap off at the Club World Cup. Rowe is trying hard but looks short of the required standard at international level.
GOAL! It is a simple cross from Knauff on the right to Weiper who gets between Cresswell and Hinshelwood, allowing him to head home from six yards. That is very bad defending.
GOAL! England 0-2 Germany (Weiper, 33)
That really was too easy for Germany.
32 mins: Half an hour in and England are yet to test Ernst in the Germany goal. Carsley will already be pondering what changes he could make at the break.
Still 0-0 in the other game, meaning England will still progress with a defeat.
30 mins: Almost a second for Germany as Beadle comes out to claim a through ball but does not get there, relying on Illing-Junior to intercept and clear.
28 mins: After some patient buildup, Anderson chips the ball over the defence to no one and out for a goal kick.
26 mins: Elliott is roaming all over the pitch to try and make things happen. He is taking a few risks as he looks to ignite the team.
24 mins: Germany are eager to press at the right time, looking to win the ball back in dangerous positions. it is not a relentless press, rather an extremely well-managed one.
22 mins: Rowe should do better after Nwaneri wins the ball back in the final third but the striker takes too long and can only whack a shot wide from a tight angle.
Down the other end, Jander has a decent chance but his shot from the edge of the box is always rising.
20 mins: England turn the ball over on the halfway line and break on Germany. Rowe takes it to around 30 yards out and slips a pass to Hutchinson but fires well wide from a decent position.
18 mins: Quansah is down holding his hip after an awkward foul in the aftermath of an aerial challenge. He is up and about.
16 mins: England break relatively quickly and Illing-Junior gets in a good position to cross but his low ball is easily cleared.
Slovenia are drawing 0-0 with Czechia, so nothing to worry England about there.
14 mins: The game here is all about England being patient, moving Germany around in order to find space because there is not much out there at the moment.
12 mins: England are enjoying the majority of possession. Anderson drives forward and plays in Hutchinson but he can’t find the right angle for the shot and sends an effort straight at the goalkeeper.
10 mins: An excellent move from England almost brings an equaliser. Nwaneri is at the heart of it and he gets to the byline, from where he sends a ball across for Quansah to attack but a German leg beats him to it and sends the ball over the bar.
8 mins: Rowe is playing down the middle for England as Carsley seeks an answer to his No 9 conundrum. He’s not had a kick yet.
Scott is dropping in between the centre-backs, allowing Hinshelwood and Illing-Junior to push up down the flanks.
6 mins: The Germans are getting in the faces of the England players. These guys are fresh and want to show their coach they can do a job when required.
GOAL! Ullrich chips a pass over Quansah’s head to find Knauff in space, who thrashes the ball across Beadle into the corner. A dismal start for England.
GOAL! England 0-1 Germany (Knauff, 3)
What a cracking pass and finish from the Germans. England were asleep.
2 mins: Not much to report in the early stages. Germany are trying to keep possession and get their rhythm going after completely changing their side.
Kick-off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
Channel 4 seem to be doing their best to not talk about the match. They just did a random two minutes discussing Theo Walcott’s shock World Cup callup as a 17-year-old.
Germany have made 11 changes to their side. They are already through, so it’s no surprise they have decided to swap everyone out.
Looking forward to the fun of Hutchinson and Nwaneri playing together. Surely England will be a bit sharper than last time out when they could not find a way past Slovenia.
Ed Aarons on Germany’s main man. He starts on the bench.
Starting lineups
England (4-2-3-1): Beadle; Hinshelwood, Quansah, Cresswell, Illing-Junior; Scott, Anderson; Hutchinson, Elliott, Nwaneri; Rowe
Subs: Simkin, Sharman-Lowe, Livramento, Edwards, Hackney, Fellows, McAtee, Norton-Cuffy, Gray, Egan-Rilet, Stansfield, Morton
Germany (4-3-3): Ernst; Baum, Hermann, Siebert, Ullrich; Wanner, Jander, Rohl; Thielmann, Weiper, Knauff
Subs: Atubolu, Noll, Collins, Brown, Arrey-Mbi, Martel, Tresoldi, Woltemade, Gruda, Reitz, Nebel
Preamble
England must have been hoping that everything was done and dusted by now but a meek goalless draw against Slovenia means they need a point against Germany, who are already through, to guarantee progression. Lee Carsley has plenty of quality at his disposal and will make changes to freshen things up amid a hectic year-old schedule for these youngsters.
If England do defeat Germany in this fixture, it would see them finish top of Group B. This would provide two pieces of good news; 1. the team would get an extra day’s rest before their quarter final and 2. England would play Italy rather than Spain. So there is plenty to play for.
Let’s hope for a cracker!
Kick-off: 8pm BST
