Two of soccer's most bitter rivals hit the field today, with Germany taking home a decisive 4-1 win. England is now eliminated from the World Cup; Germany will move to the quarter-finals and play the winner of this afternoon's Argentina-Mexico game.
In the battle of old rivals, Germany played a masterful second half to dismantle England’s shoddy defense. England, outclassed and outplayed, will now go home, while the Germans now await the winner of this afternoon’s Argentina-Mexico game in the quarterfinal. After Germany jumped out to a 2-0 lead, England showed some signs of life by pulling one back. Frank Lampard should have had a second for the Three Lions, but it was wrongfully disallowed by the linesman. It was as close as England would come. Two sensational counterattacking moves were finished by World Cup rookie Thomas Muller before the 70th minute to put the result beyond doubt.
Watch England's Discounted Goal
• Full coverage of the World Cup Few teams hate each other quite as much as the English and German national sides, and not just because they have played some classic games over the years, including the 1966 World Cup final and the 1990 semifinal. Then again, few teams have two world wars to bring up every time they meet. For the past several days, ever since the pair realized they were going to play each other in the second round of the World Cup, the countries’ respective tabloids have taken shots across the North Sea, bringing up everything from previous meetings to the outcome of World War II—always with a wry sense of humor. While the Germans often chant about the “Three World Cups!” they hold over England’s lone title, English fans retort with “Two World Wars!” But the most famous bit of ribbing may have come in 1996 when the British Mirror newspaper printed the headline “Achtung! Surrender” ahead of an England match with Germany.
Watch Germany's second goal early in the first half.
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