THE GUARDIAN: GOLDEN GENERATION PASSES ON AFTER 12 FRUSTRATING YEARS (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jun/28/england-golden-generation-world-cup-2010)

There was no golden generation after all. But let us be generous, for once, and say without irony that a bunch of gifted footballers finally disappeared into a Free State sunset last night. Although their deeds in the shirt of the national team may never have matched their promise, what they accomplished in the colours of some of the world's biggest clubs certainly validated their authenticity as individuals. If they failed to bring home the expected trophies from international tournaments, at least they gave us plenty to talk about.

The truth is that they had been slipping away, one by one, for some time before the end came last night. The first of the core members to take his leave was Paul Scholes, whose disillusionment led him to retire from international football after the 2004 European Championships. Next went Michael Owen, his England career ended by an inability to persuade Fabio Capello that his full effectiveness had been restored after a series of debilitating injuries. The third was David Beckham, who had regained the coach's trust but whose Indian summer was ruined by an achilles tendon injury in March. Then Rio Ferdinand was abruptly excluded from participation in the 2010 World Cup by a twisted knee in a training session eight days before England's opening match.

Now, following yesterday's defeat by Germany, the chances are that we have also seen the last of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard at a major international competition. Both can look forward to years of useful life at club level but their lease on an England shirt has expired and whoever picks up the threads left by Capello will need to be thinking in terms of a fresh start.

Gerrard and Owen are 30, Lampard and Ferdinand 32, Beckham and Scholes (whom Capello, at his wits' end, tried to recall) 35. They made their senior international debuts between 1995 and 2000 and share an aggregate of 421 caps, which would have been many more but for injuries, a long suspension and Scholes's self-imposed exile. In football terms they are now senior citizens. Advances in kinesiology and other fitness sciences mean they will be with us for a while yet but no longer as the standard bearers for a perhaps unwisely expectant nation.

Together they symbolised England's hopes of turning the Premier League's astonishing global popularity into a second World Cup trophy in the FA's cabinet. At the start of their journey they were young, gifted and – with the exception of the admirably stubborn Scholes – hugely marketable, but now it can be seen that their pinnacle probably came that sunny late afternoon in Shizuoka, when they faced Brazil in the quarter-finals of the 2002 tournament in front of 47,436 spectators whose replica shirts were divided equally between the white of the European side and the yellow of the South Americans.

The vast majority of those fans were Japanese, and the ones who had elected to support England were, almost to a man, woman and child, wearing the names of Owen or Beckham inscribed on their backs. Those old enough to remember the Beatles' impact on Japan, almost 40 years earlier, identified a similar popular culture phenomenon. Owen gave England the lead and in that moment they seemed fully the equals of the best side in the world. Had Beckham or Scholes succeeded in preventing the move from which Rivaldo scored the equaliser or had Ronaldinho's audacious free-kick not been allowed to dip under David Seaman's crossbar, history might have been very different.

After that defeat the climate changed. Anticipation was no longer untainted by apprehension. At home the excitement grew greater every time they set off for a World Cup but underneath it was a feeling that disappointment would not be far away. The fans believed, and did not believe. They were prepared to give unconditional support while reserving the right to castigate those who failed to fulfiltheir dreams, even though most of them knew, deep down, that those dreams were no longer realistic. Their apprehension was shared and after their first two matches in South Africa even Capello was speaking of the "fear" of the tournament exhibited by these highly experienced players.

The immoderate affluence of the leading Premier League players began to turn the leaders of the golden generation into easy targets and at the 2006 World Cup they allowed themselves and their entourage to become a laughing stock. A sense of entitlement finally overwhelmed what had once been a bunch of ordinary lads, essentially no different from, and no less talented than, those assembled by Alf Ramsey in 1966.

It distorted their behaviour off the pitch and led them to believe that success on it was no more than they "deserved" – the most popular word in their lexicon when, after losing a penalty shoot-out to Portugal, they were lamenting the premature departure from their luxury headquarters in the hills of the Black Forest as though the talent and superior motivation of lower-ranked teams were some sort of offence against nature.

So the era that began on a hot June night in France 12 years ago with a flash of lightning – Owen's scamper through the Argentinian defence – and a roll of thunder – Beckham's red card – is finally over. Now we can see how that defeat in Saint-Etienne defined the generation: a moment of deserved exhilaration closely followed by the confrontation with catastrophe. And when the end came, it was a real coup de grâce, appropriately flavoured with controversy and delivered by merciless opponents.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/27/world-cup-2010-germany-player-ratings & http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/27/world-cup-2010-england-player-ratings
The Germany XI rated 85 in the second-round match against England in Bloemfontein and advance to face Argentina. Photograph: Tony Marshall/Empics Sport
Manuel Neuer 6
Made a series of smart saves but was at fault for Upson's goal and was almost beaten twice by Lampard, whom he saved well from late on.

Philipp Lahm 7
Did not need to do much but the captain was a steadying influence at the back and rallied his young team when they threatened to wobble at 2-1.

Per Mertesacker 8
Identified as a potential weak link after his performance against Ghana but was impressive in keeping England's often toothless attack quiet.

Arne Friedrich 8
Was a largely calm, composed presence in a well-organised back four.

Jérôme Boateng 7
Shackled James Milner effectively, preventing the Aston Villa player from getting telling crosses over in the way he did against Slovenia.

Bastian Schweinsteiger 8
Largely sacrificed his attacking instincts to play a more deep-lying role than he is sometimes used to. The heartbeat of the side, he provided a superb ball for third goal.

Sami Kheidira 8
A composed, assured performance, providing a platform for those in front of him to quickly turn defence into attack.
Thomas Müller 9
Ran the show from start to finish for Germany, combining superbly with Podolski, Ozil and Klose and capping a man-of-the-match display with two clinical finishes.

Mesut Ozil 8
Ran riot around the English defence, as demonstrated when he raced past Barry for the fourth goal that underlined Germany's superiority going forward.

Lukas Podolski 8
Was less involved than the other members of the attacking midfield three that terrorised England on the break but showed flashes of brilliance – not least the killer second goal from the tightest of angles.

Miroslav Klose 8
Great finish for the first goal and was a constant thorn in England's side. Provided an outlet in the way Rooney never did and led the line superbly.
Substitutes

Piotr Trochowski 7 (for Müller 72 min)

Was a lively presence up front, albeit after the stuffing had been knocked out of England

Mario Gomez 6 (for Klose 72 min)

Did little of note, but did not have to with the game already sewn up

Stefan Kiessling n/a (for Ozil 83 min)

Too little time to make an impact

England's starting XI rated a combined 52 out of 110 in the 4-1 beasting of Bloemfontein against Germany. Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images
David James 6
Started well, providing comfort to a back four in danger of being overrun. But was left exposed too many times and, despite making good saves from Miroslav Klose and Mesut Ozil, was perhaps at fault for the second goal, when he should have done better from a tight angle.
Glen Johnson 4
Offered little going forward and defensive frailties were all too apparent, particularly when badly caught out for the second goal.
John Terry 4
Culpable, like Upson, for the first goal. His full-blooded but increasingly static style was no match for the quick feet around him.
Matthew Upson 4
Horrendously caught out for the first goal, when Klose powered past him. The West Ham defender looked uncertain all afternoon and was repeatedly pulled out of position. His headed goal renewed hope but was not enough to compensate.
Ashley Cole 6
Tried to get forward as he had against Slovenia but failed to do so with any effectiveness. Was caught out by Germany's repeated raids down the right in the opening stages but was offered little protection by Gerrard.
James Milner 5
Tried to get forward and get crosses in but was well shackled and afforded little space. Unable to beat his man for pace, he too often looked inside and played a square ball instead.
Frank Lampard 6
Drove forward and got on the ball more often than in first three games and appeared to have found his shooting range. Was denied a legitimate goal by a linesman and may well have had two more. Now looks destined never to score a World Cup goal.
Gareth Barry 4
Hailed as the man who would unlock the potential of this England side by providing a metronomic passing base but he failed to protect his back four or offer any base from which to build. In mitigation, may still not be fully fit.
Steven Gerrard 5
Was unable to drive his team forward when they badly needed it, apart from a 20-minute spell either side of half-time when he was more involved. Stuck to his post on the left but was unable to influence the game.
Wayne Rooney 4
Started more brightly, holding the ball up well and passing sharply. It was not to last though and before long he cut the same frustrated, disconsolate presence that has become familiar throughout this ill-starred tournament.
Jermain Defoe 4

While the Spurs striker was perky and available against Slovenia, here he offered little threat. Hit the bar with a header when harshly flagged offside
Substitutes

Joe Cole 4 (for Milner 63 min)

Sent on to try to rescue the game but did not get on the ball nearly often enough to do any damage.

Emile Heskey 4 (for Defoe 71 min)

Made no impact.

Shaun Wright-Phillips n/a (for Johnson 87 min)

No time to impress.

England Find New Ways To Inflict Pain

The decades of hurt go on, and in new, excitingly painful ways. Nine years after Munich, Germany had a landslide of their own. And 44 years after Wembley they had a reverse of Geoff Hurst of their own, too, in a moment that will have already been replayed more times than I dare imagine.

I came to Bloemfontein in hope, an emotion many seemed to share but that appeared deeply foolish when the feared defensive weaknesses helped Germany to a two-goal lead. But the surge created by Matthew Upson's header was still echoing when Frank Lampard's shot came down off the bar. We will never know what would have happened had England pulled level and done so in such a dramatic burst.

The shot felt in, is all I can say from the moment itself, watching from high at the wrong end of the ground. The pathway to goal seemed to have opened up for Lampard, the man who has broken Jay-Jay Okocha's record for most World Cup shots without a goal. Lampard's peeved face from 2006 and his frustration-grimace from 2010 were about to be replaced with a smile that would have generated hope in team-mates and shock in opponents.

I will see later where the linesman stood at the crucial moment and whether he should have been willing to raise his flag. But the ripple of disbelief at the game going on soon became one of outrage as the texts poured in. The better team overall won, but whether they would have remained the better team was never put to the test.

The cold statistical verdict will show a 4-1 defeat and a last-16 exit. The former is the heaviest margin by which England have lost a knock-out game; the latter is the level below the two World Cups contested by Sven-Goran Eriksson. That the challenge was a flawed one will be readily agreed upon; the painful progression from the group stage and the manner in which Germany opened up their early lead are evidence enough. The momentum from the improved performance against Slovenia was largely lost as uncertainty flooded back into England's play. At 2-0, the landslide with which we were ultimately left seemed more likely than a comeback.

For any England campaign to reach the latter stages we surely needed Wayne Rooney to re-find the form that he left behind in Munich when Manchester United were eliminated from the Champions League. Instead he remained out of tune with team-mates and ball alike. Like Lampard, he has never scored at a World Cup and will be pushing 29 next time he gets a chance.

Steven Gerrard, whose reputation was cemented in Munich, has scored in two World Cups and did his best as captain to make things happen; he actually did so for England's goal, swapping flanks to make the most of a corner routine. But before the game slipped away on devastating counter-attacks he did not make the most of opportunities that offered hope of an equaliser. The acting captain is not a speech-maker and team rouser, he is a leader by example, and he could not quite find the right example when it mattered most. No longer will he have happy memories of the Germans.

Collectively, indeed, England are a team with a past, while the young Germans, overall the better side, are one with a future. After that victory, Germany's future could even be right now. But Lampard will wonder quite what he has done to deserve his World Cup curtain coming down quite like that.

Welcome, Fabio Capello, to the ranks of my fellow sufferers. We are left with yet another England "what might have been". Almost every England campaign, most of which have ended in narrow defeat, has a pivotal moment. It takes something special to say the same even after a hammering, but England delivered once more.

Philip Cornwall

GUARDIAN - AS IT HAPPENED
To paraphrase – i.e. plagiarise – the master: Hello. You've obviously heard there's a football match on this afternoon.

Anyway, a brief history of Germany v England (with incidental music): The teams first meet in Berlin in 1930, Richard Hoffman becoming the first non-Scot to rattle a hat-trick past an English keeper's lugs. That game ends 3-3, thanks to a late English equaliser; Germany will have to wait until 1968 for their first win over England.

The next couple of games are played out in the shadow cast by impending conflict. The FA decide not to cancel a friendly at White Hart Lane in 1935, despite the TUC calling for it to be ditched with a view to not giving advertising space to the increasingly ubiqutous Hitler brand, then order the team to throw Nazi shapes before a return game in Berlin in 1938. Best left all round, this period.

Late in 1954, England beat the West Germany side that had won the World Cup a few months earlier. Sort of. Most of the German first teamers have been given the day off. Still, well done, everyone! England would of course do the job properly against the Germans in 1966, a year before Jim Baxter's Scotland takes the world crown off them in a match at yes OK this is pathetic.

And then three German epochs. (1) In 1968, the realisation England could be beaten, Franz Beckenbauer winning a tight game in Hanover. (2) In 1970, the realisation England could be beaten in a major championship, after riding their luck in the 1970 World Cup quarter-final. (Does Uwe Seeler mean that back header? Oh I don't think so.) And then (3) the realisation that they're better – much better – than the English, rolling them over 3-1 at Wembley in the 1972 European Championship quarter-finals. A point they go on to prove again and again over the following 20-odd years by winning World Cups and European Championships various.

But since Germany's Euro 96 win, the two teams have been much of a muchness. England have won the last game between the sides (a 2-1 win in Berlin in 2008), the last competitive fixture (that 5-1 in 2001), and the last fixture in a major tournament (1-0 at Euro 2000). Germany meanwhile have reached a World Cup final, a European Championship final, and a World Cup semi. Actually, this isn't really much of a muchness, is it.

Anyway, the English papers have been embarrassing themselves today, as you'd expect. It's been war this, blitz that, Churchill speeches the other. Any English fan thoroughly sick of this myopic nonsense – and anyone else interested in football, frankly – is advised to read a new book called Send Them Victorious: England's Path To Glory 2006-2010 by David Stubbs. A series of England match reports written by "biased but fair" jingoistic Boer War veteran The Wing Commander, it gives both the Fourth Estate and the players they overhype a right old shoeing, and is pretty much the funniest book about football ever written. Here's a tinder-dry snippet from an England-Germany report:

"It is no exaggeration, but rather an imaginative simile, to compare this game to World War II – World War II, that is, minus the participation of Churchill, Field Marshall Montgomery, Adolf Hitler, Herman Goering, and Douglas Bader, who like our own Frank Lampard, suffered from the handicap of not being able to use his legs in any effective way."

You have got to love this book.

Kick-off: 3pm by the British summer hourglass.

The stadium: Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein.

What both teams need to have on: The battle fever.

What both teams will have on: The battle fever.

Germany will be playing in: Their trademark white shirts. Such are the benefits of coming first in your group.

England will be playing in: Their "away" red shirts. But then they seem to prefer these anyway. Give it a few years, and red will be the first-choice kit anyway. It has to happen sometime.

Today's fall guy should things go pear-shaped: Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay, king of all footballing nations). At this stage of the 2006 tournament, this dude went red-card happy during Italy's 10-9 players-left-on-the-field win over USA. Let's hope that sort of brouhaha doesn't break out today. Or are we feeling mischevious?

While we're on a discipline tip, here are the players on one yellow card and risking a day off come quarter-final time: Johnson, Gerrard and Milner for England; Lahm, Khedira, Schweinsteiger, Ozil, Muller and Cobbleigh for Germany.

Here's the England team, unchanged, much as we expected: James, Johnson, Terry, Upson, Ashley Cole, Milner, Lampard, Barry, Gerrard, Defoe, Rooney.
Subs: Green, Dawson, Lennon, Crouch, Joe Cole, Warnock, Wright-Phillips, Carragher, Heskey, King, Carrick, Hart.

And here's Germany, featuring a fit Bastian Schweinsteiger: Neuer, Lahm, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Boateng, Schweinsteiger, Khedira, Muller, Ozil, Podolski, Klose.
Subs: Wiese, Jansen, Aogo, Tasci, Kiessling, Badstuber, Trochowski, Cacau, Kroos, Marin, Gomez, Butt.

Tempting Fate Or An Elaborate Double Bluff To Bodyswerve It? dept. "Given his 'tin hat' picture in the Daily Star, the choice of referee for the match, and his loss of form, may we just write 'Wayne Rooney' in the space on scoresheet under 'Red cards'?" wonders Lou Roper. "Or are you taking bets on when Mr Larrionda will reach for his pocket? 'Just Roo It', indeed. Has, ironically, Nike written the future in that advert?" Rooney - so well behaved for Manchester United in recent times - has been in a strange mood this World Cup, from his fcuk-u shoes to stomping off the pitch against Slovenia with a face on. But surely he's old enough, and bruised enough by bitter major-tournament experience, to keep control of his temper here. England can't afford many off days today, least of all one suffered by their most potent attacker.

As an aside, here are the only players to have scored more goals in the final stages of the World Cup than Miroslav Klose, who has scored 11 at the 2002, 2006 and 2010 tournaments: Ronaldo (15 at 1998, 2002 and 2006), Gerd Muller (14 at 1970 and 1974), Just Fontaine (13 at 1958) and Pele (12 at 1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970). Alongside Klose on 11 are Jurgen Klinsmann (1990, 1994 and 1998) and Sándor Kocsis (1954). I mean, Miroslav Klose and Sándor Kocsis, for goodness sake.

Tempting Fate Or An Elaborate Double Bluff To Bodyswerve It? dept. II: "Why is Alan Hansen writing the Germans off so readily?" wonders a surprised Nick Higgins, who has somehow gone through the last decade without once catching the BBC pundit phoning it in. "He's dismissed them as 'average' and 'nothing to write home about'. Is that Scot trying to test fate in the Germans' favour?" Meanwhile George Reader was "really impressed" with Germany's reaction to Klose's red card against Serbia in the group stage, even if it didn't quite come off for them, and fears for England. "Klose came off the pitch, no histrionics, Joachim Low gave him a botty tap and implemented plan B, control in defense, look for an opportunity. How can England combat (a Blitzy type word) such organization? I am over the international Rooney era already, let's get a player on who has some gusto. Reverse psychology going on here, of course. I am going to be drunk later, I suspect." You and 87% of the country, George, whatever happens.

The sole benefit of England's white kit: "A friend of mine has been championing England changing their home kit to red for years, ever since the infamous grey Euro 96 strip, and it doesn't seem to have become any more likely," writes Eddie Robson. "I like it how it is, personally: when you see some teams in their away kit you think 'Who are you?', especially since lots of teams play in white away. England are recognisable in both kits. Although sometimes they do play as if they're not recognisable to each other."

For anyone nervously fidgeting during the countdown to kick-off: Kill some time looking at this, photographs of the original balls of every World Cup between 1930 and 2010. "Isn't this beautiful?" asks Gary Naylor. It is indeed, Gary. Murray's Incontestable Football Statements (No2 in what was initially planned to be a series of 1): Of the modern era, you can't beat the Telstar. Everything since is either not quite right, or a whole world of wrong.

The referee plucks Kick Off Ball from Kick Off Ball Plinth, and with that the teams take to the field. The anthems are played. First Germany's. Then a song about God saving the head of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. That's not fair! Germany have had two. Don't England get a turn? The red-clad English players take it well, though, shaking hands along the line with their counterparts in white shirts and black shorts. The wait is over. We're about to get going...

And we're off! The first big-name clash of the 2010 World Cup (yes it is, let's not be cynical) is under way. England get the ball rolling, and pass it around the back for 16 seconds before hoofing it long for Defoe. The striker saves the ball going out of play, but can't find a team-mate, nobody having anticipated the move along with him. Michael Basler has sent us an article on Germans rooting for other countries. "Apparently, the hip cats in Berlin join the English today," he writes. "It's a bit like Shoreditch there, just with a lesser sense of humor." Lesser? Oh my dear God. That can't be true. You've never been to Shoreditch, have you? Some people have all the luck.

3 min: An early burst from Germany, Ozil and Podolski linking down the left. Barry comes across and breaks up play with a minimum of fuss. The England fans cheer loudly.

4 min: Rooney breaks clear down the inside-left channel, but he's pulled back for offside. What a frown on him! He's got the battle fever on alright.

5 min: Ozil breaks down the inside right channel. He's not offside, though. He takes a heavy touch and nearly reaches the byline, but still mananges a shot on goal from a tight angle. James hacks clear with his shin. That's solid goalkeeping. The ball spins out for a corner from the left, Schweinsteiger swinging the set piece straight into the hands of James. England will be happy their keeper has his hands warm.

8 min: A fresh, open feel to the early exchanges in this game. Ozil has seen a fair bit of the ball. Milner and Barry have been working away down the right, too. Boateng deals with Milner easily enough, but it was a determined run by the Villa man. "I accidentally switched channels just in time to see the German flag, flanked by two British flags, and to listen to the german national anthem, as Sebastian Vettel wins the Valencia grand prix ahead of Button and Hamilton," reports Sean Carless. "A bit of a bad omen or what?" Depends who you're rooting for, I guess. We're a broad church here. Also if you believe in the ridiculous concept of omens, but let's not go there, I've not time.

11 min: Both teams are playing a lot of aimless long balls over the top, straight into the arms of James and Neuer. Like I can be bothered to describe those. "Should I ask this?" wonders Barbara Meinhoff. Why not, Barbara, why not. "How far in advance do TV channels prepare the montages that they play at Moments Of National Pain In Football Tournaments, ie montages of sobbing team members when they get knocked out? I'm thinking the one last time from ITV (over the cover of Hurt by Johnny Cash) was genuinely moving but looking at it now its shite. I reckon the BBC will go for Hoppippolla by Sigur Ros. Again." Probably. Imagination isn't BBC Sport's strong suit. Should it all go wrong, I can't see further than Dance of the Cuckoos, personally. But let's see how this pans out first.

14 min: Nothing much happening, really, other than a lot of committed running from both sides. England are seeing a wee bit more of the ball. Gerrard and Cole combine down the left, Cole nearly rushing free towards the box, but Lahm covers very quickly indeed, the danger snuffed out in 0.000000000000000089 seconds.

16 min: Lahm swings one in from the right towards Khedira's head. James plucks the cross from the air. He has looked very solid since coming in for Robert Green. "The announcer on Univision (the Spanish-language network in the U.S.) keeps referring to Rooney as 'astroboy'," reports Mike Murphy. "Why?" I have no idea. Because he has the same "compact" body shape as Grandstand's finest video game console, and makes similar grunts of displeasure when things go wrong? It's the best explination I can come up with at short notice.

18 min: Defoe twists and twiddles down the inside left channel. He's eventually felled 30 yards from goal by Schweinsteiger. The free kick will be in a dangerous position. Lampard takes it. There's a wall in front of him. Do I need to tell you how this pans out? Thought not.

20 mins: KLOSE'S NUMBER 12!!! Germany 1-0 England. Dear Lord. Neuer hoofs a long ball upfield, straight down the middle. Terry is off on holiday, Upson was standing wondering whether to go with him, maybe stow away in his suitcase, and so Klose simply romps down the middle, sliding in and poking a right-foot shot past the advancing James and into the bottom-right corner. That is as simple a goal that's been scored in the entire history of All Football. What a defensive shambles. The centre backs want shooting when they eventually come back from their break.

23 min: England look shocked. And no bloody wonder. Ozil and Podolski have taken turns to run straight at the England back line, understandably having concluded that the players in it might bugger off for a cigarette at any given moment. Cole and Johnson take turns to get tackles in.

25 min: Barry has a very decent swerving dig straight down the middle. Neuer shows good hands with Defoe and Rooney lurking.

26 min: Klose knocks last man Upson in the back, sending him spinning like a teenager full of Special Brew. He is all over the shop. This time he gets the decision - Klose was indeed acting the heavy goon - but the defender looks shellshocked, to continue the military metaphors of the day. "When a USA defender from a mediocre Ligue 1 side gives up a goal like that when he's tired in extra time, that's one thing," opines Darren Malloy. "For a Premier League defender to let that one in during the first half would be a shock, if that was not Klose and this was not England."

29 min: A long ball down the inside-left channel goes flying out of play for a goal kick, no red shirt within miles. This keeps happening. England are playing very badly; the only way is up. Though here's Scott W with some good news for Germany supporters: "England have never come back from behind versus Germany in Southern hemisphere when wearing red in an afternoon kick-off."

31 min: This should have been 2-0. Ozil flicks a clever pass into the area down the inside right channel, springing Klose clear in the box. James saves brilliantly, low at Klose's feet. Klose should have slotted that away - and Germany had two free on the left, waiting to roll the ball home. A pivotal miss? "Do you think Wayne Bridge was at home applauding that sensational bit of defending by the brave John Terry?" wonders John Reid.

32 min: From a right-wing cross, Defoe hits the bar with a header - but he's offside. A fair decision.

33 min: ANOTHER GOAL!!! Germany 2-0 England. And another defensive shambles. Klose is YET AGAIN set free down the inside right channel. He doesn't bother engaging James, looping the ball to the left of the area, where Podolski is free in acres. Where on earth are the defenders?!? Podolski's first touch isn't great, taking him wide left at a tight angle, but the striker toks the ball between James' legs and sends the inside of the right-hand side netting billowing.

35 min: England finally get the battle fever on. Milner whips a low cross in from the right. Lampard slides in at close range, hitting Neuer with his shot. The ball loops up, and is eventually sliced clear by Friedrich.

36 min: This is officially embarrassing for England. Klose nearly breaks free for the 384th time in the game. Upson and Johnson combine to poke the ball out for a corner on the left. From it, the ball's swung to the far post, where Klose twists, turns, and is allowed to get a toe-poke on goal. The ball's scrambled clear for another corner, which is wasted. England need to get their gamefaces on, and quick.

38 min: ENGLAND GET THEIR GAMEFACES ON!!! Germany 2-1 England. England take a short corner on the right. Gerrard swings a cross in towards Upson, who is always getting there ahead of Neuer, and heads home. It is on!

39 min: 1966 IN REVERSE!!! Lampard hammers a long shot goalwards. Finally in an England shirt he delivers a peach, looping over Neuer's head and bouncing off the underside of the crossbar and into the net, before spinning out. It's miles over the line - but the goal's not given! Lampard can't believe it. You may well hear about this again. That's probably ensured video replay come the next tournament.

41 min: England have been robbed there, but they will do well not to get the radge on, and remember that even a 2-1 score, never mind 2-2, flatters them after the first 37 minutes. That, of course, is easy to say. Still, they have looked a much more potent force since Upson's goal.

44 min: What a half of football this has been. Ozil is buzzing around a lot. Barry and Lampard are beginning to see enough of the ball to make a difference.

HALF TIME: Germany 2-1 England. To a tumult of boos, the teams walk off. Rooney, predictably enough, stops for a blast of hot air at the referee before he takes his leave. Jingoism's Guy Mowbray, on the BBC, is arguing that the laughable decision not to award Lampard's goal was more wrong than the one which allowed Hurst's goal all those years ago. Absolutes are absolutes, Mowbray. And anyway, it's bad enough as it stands, there's no need to work a persecution complex into it.

Video evidence - the debate starts here: "Do you think that crossed the line?" asks Billy Williamson, whose name suggests he might be causing trouble. "I'm not sure. Sometimes angles can be deceptive and TV replays aren't always reliable."

Video evidence - restarting the debate, this time with some sense: "Wouldn't it be easier to add another ref along the end line like the Europa Cup experiment?" asks Mike Murphy. "Video replay is too difficult to implement. That extra ref would have called that a goal."

Changing the subject, just for a minute: "Now that David Beckham is the England team mascot," writes Peter Charsley, "why not go the whole hog and force him to wear a David Beckham costume, complete with giant David Beckham head? Could it be just the boost the boys need?" See, this is the sort of proactive blue-sky thinking missing at the FA. Have you thought about giving them a ring?

Oo-er, hold on, here's some logic: "There is widespread condemnation of the decision not to allow Lampard's goal as 'shambolic', 'unbelievable', and 'exceptional'," writes Scott W. "Yet the people who say they have never seen anything like it go on to say that this is why we need video evidence. Surely if the absurdity of this decision resides in its extraordinariness, there is no need to take curative action?" Meanwhile here's Simon Horwell: "I was distraught to see that second England 'goal' not given but not because it would have levelled the game but because it's now given our tabloid media an excuse to go on one of those anti-german conspiracy crusades once we (inevitably) lose this game. Of course focusing on the abject midfield set up, tactical naivity and clear lack of organisation at the back would be far too introspective."

And we're off, again! Germany get the ball rolling. In all the brouhaha, let's not forget England were on the front foot at the end of the half. So it's far from lost for them. "I assume Univision is referring to the Japanese cartoon superhero Astro Boy, a robot with machine guns mounted on his arse," writes Scott Martin. "Let's hope Rooney can pull something out of the same area."

47 min: Friedrich is booked for a little clip on Defoe. That's not much of a challenge. On the BBC, Jingo Boy and Mark Lawrenson are debating whether a slightly sheepish looking Jorge Larrionda is trying to level things up as best he could. "Never mind shades of 1966, this England team is playing football from 1066," writes Justin Kavanagh. He's here all week.

49 min: Gerrard cuts inside from the left, across the face of the German box, and drags a low, hard shot wide left. "Sorry England," writes Hartmut Hirt. "This goal should have been given. Any 'linesman', as they used to be called, in his correct position SHOULD have seen that the ball had crossed the line."

51 min: England are enjoying a lot of the ball since the restart. Rooney is nudged over by Friedrich, 40 yards out, just to the right. And what does he have to do to score?!? He hits a rising shot from a preposterous distance - and it twangs the post, Neuer mistakenly letting it go.

54 min: Germany have looked very nervous since the second half began. Muller wins a corner on the right. From it, Schweinsteiger and Lahm fanny around for ages before the latter finally gets a cross in. Rooney heads clear easily. They looked dangerous every time they came forward for the majority of the first half; now, nothing. England can take hope from this.

57 min: Lahm plays a poor ball back to his keeper, very nearly allowing Defoe to nick in, just to the left of goal, 12 yards out. Neuer slides out to hack clear. Germany are a bag of nerves. That disallowed goal has given this match a very surreal atmosphere.

60 min: Muller steams straight down the middle into a pocket of space by the England D. His low shot is heading towards the bottom-right corner before being deflected out by Cole. It's a clear corner, as clear as that Lampard goal, but England are awarded the goal kick. The officials are having the mother, father and extended family of shockers, here. "Is there some confusion over the game being played here?" asks Michael Plevin. "Perhaps the ref thought that the 'if it goes in it must stay in' rules of pool, basketball, golf apply to football too. Oh, well, here we go again. Sometimes I'd rather we lose 5-0 without any controversy."

61 min: I have a feeling this is going to get exceptionally frenetic. Rooney skidaddles down the centre, and lays the ball off right to Milner, whose excellent first-time swipe from the edge of the box looks destined for the bottom-left corner. Boateng is across to block, defensive brilliance.

63 min: Rooney nearly sets Defoe free down the inside left channel. Freidrich sticks a toe in - bravely, as it's in the box, and he's already been booked - and swans off Beckenbauer style with the ball. Then, up the other end, Schweinsteiger swipes a low effort wide left from the inside right position. What an end-to-end match this is.

64 min: Joe Cole comes on for Milner. Wild cheers from the England support. "All this debate about video referees is nice but why is it nobody has asked the truly startling question here: what on earth happened to cause Lampard to start shooting straight?" wonders Nick Knight. "I'm so used to his goal attempts coming down with ice on them."

66 min: Friedrich blocks Rooney, 30 yards out, just to the right of goal. Lampard stands over it. The ball goes straight into the wall this time.

67 min: THIS COULD BE IT FOR ENGLAND. Germany 3-1 England. The ball having bounced off the wall, four German players stream upfield, no red shirts bothering to chase back and help. Down the inside left, Schweinsteiger rolls the ball wide right to Muller on the right-hand edge of the England box. James gets a hand to the shot, but it was hit hard as you like and flies into the bottom-right corner.

69 min: England's four defenders make it back to their area.

70 min: THIS IS SO EASY NOW. Germany 4-1 England. England have a throw in on the edge of Germany's area. They quickly lose the ball, which is walloped up the left wing. Ozil gets there ahead of Barry, and of course - need I bother saying this? - the defence is nowhere to be seen. Ozil makes it all the way to the area, before clipping the ball across to Muller, taking out James. Mulller lifts the ball into the net. It is over.

72 min: Some subs. Heskey replaces Defoe. Trochowski replaces Muller. And Klose goes off, Gomez coming on.

74 min: As things stand, this will be England's worst-ever World Cup finals defeat. They lost 4-2 to Uruguay in 1954 - although that was technically worse, as Uruguay were down to eight fit men by the end of the game. "The sad truth is now that the blame will be laid at linesman and Sepp Blatter, sighs Chris Langmead. "As wrong as the decision was, it can't disguise the lack of basic skills. So much for our 'big match experience'."

76 min: England are a pathetic rabble now. Ozil and Schweinsteiger are running at what passes for their defence, time and again, at will. "Heskey on alongside Rooney?" notes Chris Bunce. "Well, Shrek and Donkey were always meant to be together."

77 min: Khedira dinks a delicious ball down the inside-right channel for Gomez. All he's got to do is whack it, Muller style, at goal, but he tries a crazy backflick instead, and the chance for Germany's fifth is gone.

79 min: "Is it true that the England fans at the game are now singing 'It's just like watching North Korea'?" asks Ted Lee. Heh. I have no idea, but to be fair to England's support, they have moved from being rightfully livid at half time to enjoying the gallows humour. I do know they've been singing a chorus of "England's going home". For fans who have had pelters for acting up down the years, they're taking this with good grace. Especially after witnessing this defensive display, never mind that Lampard goal.

81 min: Rooney cushions a lovely pass down the inside-left channel for Gerrard, allowing him to scoot clear into the box. His shot towards the bottom right is decent - and fingertipped round the post brilliantly by Neuer. The corner's wasted. Which reminds me, there's always next Premier League season, everyone.

82 min: Johnson is booked for hauling Ozil down on the left wing. He had no choice; the brilliant young German would have been in acres in the England half had he not.

83 min: The wonderful Ozil is replaced by Kiessling.

84 min: Germany are just knocking it around for fun, now. "That's it for the so-called Golden Generation," writes Norman Keane. "James, Terry, Upson, Ferdinand, Gerrard, Lampard, Defoe, Heskey, Crouch should feature in any future squads. Let's start again, as the Germans seem to have done."

85 min: Still, look on the bright side, at least Rooney didn't melt down and get himself sent off.

87 min: Johnson is replaced by Wright Phillips. On BBC TV, Jingo the Commentator is trotting out that "we know these players are world class, they play for Chelsea and Manchester United and the like every week" argument. Has he thought that the reason they look good is because they're alongside players who are from Not England? No. No he hasn't, is the answer to that poser.

89 min: Rooney tries to cause some bother from the byline, to the right of goal. Neuer is on hand to smother. Lampard takes another swipe, a decent one from 30 yards towards the top right, but the keeper claims well. That's another World Cup gone without him scoring a goa... actually, in the circumstances, it's pretty tight to be pointing that out today.

FULL TIME: Germany 4-1 England. England's worst World Cup finals defeat in history is sealed. By all accounts, there were 54 seconds between Matthew Upson's goal and Frank Lampard's crazy ping over the line. Now, it was a disgraceful decision not to allow that goal, and if it was given much might have changed. But to be honest I doubt it. England were appalling. And anyway, when you boil it down, England played well for 54 seconds out of 90 minutes. A terrible show, an embarrassment, and an especially pathetic defensive performance.

Fabio speaks: The decision to not allow Lampard's goal was the turning point of the game ... he's calling for either video technology or a fifth referee ... England were playing well at 2-1, and at the start of the second half ... England have played well, but Germany are a good team ... if it was 2-2 the result would have been different ... the little things decide games like that ...

But England's players know the true story here: Germany's four goals rather than Lampard's phantom one. There's no righteous anger on display; just some very sad and sheepish faces as they shake hands with their victors. Oh hold on, Terry is strutting off with the radge on. Anyway, that was a right pasting, and England have to take it on the chin. Lord Nelson, Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Anthony Eden, Clement Attlee, Henry Cooper, Lady Diana, your boys took... hold on, someone's already gone with that riff, haven't they.

Among the disconsolate fans leaving the Bloemfontein stadium was Mr Garner, a 26-year-old digger driver from Peterborough, who said: "We're supposed to be Three Lions but we did not seem to have the heart.

"We looked old and useless. They looked young and fresh."

His friend, Damien Masham, 26, a window cleaner from Peterborough, said he was "absolutely devastated".

"They perform at club level but when it comes to internationals they look like a Sunday league side," he said.

"We paid a lot of money to come here; you just start to wonder if it's worth it."

Three friends who paid between £5,000 and £8,000 each to follow England in South Africa said the defeat marked the end of an era after more than 12 years of support.

One told BBC News: "I think that's it for us now. We've backed England, we've payed a lot of money for the past 12 or 14 years, and I can't see where we're getting our reward from."

England fans at Glastonbury may wish they had stuck with the music His friend said he could not keep "shelling out" thousands of pounds and travelling thousands of miles.

"We're not students any more, we can't take months and months off to follow England. I think it's the end of a generation, not just for the players but for the fans as well."

BBC sports news correspondent Gordon Farquhar in Bloemfontein said many fans complained about the players, their pay and their performances on the pitch.

"The refereeing mistake that cost England a goal seemed to be at the front of people's minds as they left the stadium," he said.

"But it wasn't just the referee's performance that fans wanted to complain about. Much of what was being said about the team was unprintable."

Awful Performance Leaves Fabio Capello With No Excuses

The ball was over the line but a disallowed goal is not why this World Cup is now over for England.

It is not why, when they came into this last-16 encounter so confident of beating the Germans, Fabio Capello and his England team are left to reflect on the country’s heaviest World Cup defeat and three stuttering performances in the four games they contested here in South Africa.

A depressingly one-dimensional team produced one good performance.


Capello will probably spend the rest of his life complaining about Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal and he does have a point. It was extraordinary — the greatest injustice for an England team since Diego Maradona’s ‘hand of God’ and something that will certainly tickle the Germans after what happened in 1966.

This was different. There can be no disputing that Lampard’s shot was almost a yard across the line after flying in off the underside of the bar. But Jorge Larrionda and his assistants, in particular Mauricio Espinosa, were dreadful here at the Free State Stadium.

Espinosa, who raised an offside flag when a German player sent Wayne Rooney clear, did so again when Jermain Defoe sent a header against the bar when he was, in fact, onside. But he kept his flag down when it mattered most, when, six minutes after going two goals down, England should have drawn level.

How Larrionda and his team failed to see that it was a goal is something FIFA need to explore because everyone else here could see it; from Capello, who was celebrating, on the bench to those of us high up in the stands, among us the same Sepp Blatter, the FIFA president, who has wrongly ruled out any possibility of goal-line technology.

It clearly has something to do with the incompetence of a Uruguayan referee who has shown 94 red cards in 140 internationals; who was suspended in 2002 amid allegations of corruption; who disallowed a similar effort in a World Cup qualifier between Brazil and Colombia six years ago. The same official also sent off three players when Italy met the United States in the World Cup in Germany four years ago.

All of that might fool some people some of the time but not the majority most of the time. Because, for all England’s frustration with going in at the interval a goal down, this should not be used to hide how awful England were on Sunday.

As Joe Cole said, England were a mess — a team that were tactically and technically inept; a team that, for all the quality of the individuals, were so painfully inferior to their well-drilled opponents.

The Germans might have been four years younger, on average, than this England team but they are light years ahead on this evidence.

Germany outclassed and outpassed England with some superbly slick football. While much was made of the threat of 21-year-old Mesut Ozil, it was 20-year-old Thomas Muller who stole the show, adding two second-half goals to those scored by Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski before the break.

Defensively, England were disastrous. Capello would appear to have agonised over the choice between Matthew Upson and Jamie Carragher — and, my word, how badly he got that wrong.

How much he must regret keeping the same team for the first time in 28 games as England manager as well as the same all-red kit.

With John Terry forced to play on the right side of the pairing — at Chelsea he plays next to Ashley Cole — and Upson clearly lacking the temperament to handle such a big occasion, England were made to look horribly naive.
Get in! Lukas Podolski celebrates after slamming the ball past David James for the Germans second

Get in! Lukas Podolski celebrates after slamming the ball past David James for the Germans second

In Gareth Barry they suddenly had a holding midfielder who appeared to be suffering a lack of fitness after that long injury lay-off. Ditto Rooney, who will reflect on this World Cup as the depressing end to an otherwise brilliant season.

He again failed to get into the game, and if Capello does continue he needs to look seriously at the 4-3-3 formation that best suits his finest player. His failure to recognise as much and adapt sooner could yet cost him his job.

It was for England’s defenders, however, that this was the most chastening of experiences. They were so slow and ponderous, almost conceding earlier than they did when Ozil burst clear and forced a fine save from David James.

But when that opening goal came after 20 minutes, it was the manner in which it was scored that hurt most. It was a pub-team goal; a goal that saw a side dismissed by Franz Beckenbauer for their kick-and-rush approach being beaten by the route one game.

Alan Hansen said he had never seen two centre halves more badly positioned to deal with Manuel Neuer’s goal kick, and Klose, the 32-year-old Golden Boot winner of four years ago, took full advantage.

Both Terry and Upson were guilty of advancing too far forward, allowing Klose to accelerate on to the bouncing ball and guide it past James after holding off the desperate challenge of Upson.

England lacked tempo and confidence, nearly conceding a second when a delightful ball from Muller presented Klose with a chance to score again.


As it was, James pulled off another good save, but James was well beaten by Podolski in the 32nd minute when yet more abject defending invited the Germans to tear through the English ranks.

A rapidly executed move saw the ball transferred, right to left, from Ozil to Klose and then to Muller before the unmarked, unchallenged Podolski drove a shot through James’s legs.

A big part of the problem was Ashley Cole’s failure to pick up the run of Muller.

From England, though, there did come a response. No sooner had Lampard been denied at close range by Neuer than Upson was rising to meet a terrific cross from Steven Gerrard with a powerful header.

That was in the 37th minute, and within 60 seconds of the restart England quite rightly thought they had scored again.

But they finished the first half as the stronger team and had no need to chase the game in quite the way they did after the break, especially when they looked good, initially, for a second goal.

Lampard sent a freekick crashing against the bar and Defoe, while disappointing here, also had a chance.

It made the Germans’ third goal in the 67th minute all the more regrettable, because England should not have found themselves in a three-on-two situation after Lampard had driven another freekick into a defensive wall.


With England exposed, Germany broke rapidly, Muller beating James at his near post thanks to a delightful ball from Bastian Schweinsteiger and some poor goalkeeping, it has to be said, from the 39-year-old.

Germany’s fourth was much the same. Another swift counter-attack after England lost possession on the edge of Germany’s box and more woeful defending.

After Ozil broke down the left came the sight of Upson chasing Muller in the same pathetic way Peter Reid pursued Maradona in 1986.

It was an easy goal for Muller to seal an easy win for Germany, and a defeat so much more painful than 1990 and 1996. At least England turned up on those occasions. At least they performed to their considerable potential.

Penalties? The only penalty Capello needs to worry about is the one he might yet pay for this.

MATCH FACTS

GERMANY (4-4-2): Neuer 6; Lahm 7, Friedrich 7, Mertesacker 8, Boateng 6; Schweinsteiger 9, Khedira 7, Muller 8 (Trochowski 72min, 7), Ozil 8 (Kiessling 83); Podolski 8, Klose 8 (Gomez 72, 5).

Booked: Friedrich.

ENGLAND (4-4-2): James 4; Johnson 6 (Wright-Phillips 87), Terry 4, Upson 6, A Cole 4; Milner 7 (J Cole 64, 6), Lampard 8, Barry 7, Gerrard 6; Defoe 6 (Heskey 71, 5), Rooney 3.

Booked: Johnson.

Man of the match: Bastian
Schweinsteiger.

Referee: Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay).

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2010/article-1289986/WORLD-CUP-2010-Germany-4-England-1--Pain-Three-Lions-crash-unbelievable-linesman-blunder.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Victims Of A Cruel Injustice, But Ultimately Well Beaten

We should have technology in football 10 years into the 21st century, just as we have running water and antibiotics.

It may also be true that if England hadn't suffered so outrageously from the lack of it here yesterday, Germany – a new, young Germany – might not have finished quite so cruelly superior.

But if England face their own reality, rather than dwell too heavily on the distortion of it imposed when an equalising goal of absolute legality was denied them, they will have to take home from the World Cup something more than a massive sense of grievance.

They will have to admit that this wasn't a defeat but an undressing, a statement about how some teams evolve and grow strong in the process, and others just slip into a time warp.

This is what happened to the remnants of the mythical Golden Generation, which was supposed to conquer the world with players like David Beckham and Michael Owen.

The 4-1 defeat can be larded with sympathy, but in the end there was no avoiding the fact that English football has been cruelly exposed here these past few weeks.

Those of us who thought that in the last of their talent they might just have a little too much for an unformed Germany, and enough at least to carry them into the quarter-final in Cape Town more in hope than expectation, were disabused of the instinct just about as soon as it took young German players like Thomas Müller and Mesut Ozil to thread together a game of brilliant movement and a fine understanding of available space.

Yes, the lack of measures to prevent the kind of outrage which came when Frank Lampard's shot smacked against the underside of the crossbar and landed at least two feet over the line is sickening and, who knows – because football can be a game of such curious ebb and flow – it might well have helped to shape the result.

England could have built some serious momentum on the impact of two goals in two minutes, but when Uruguayan linesman Mauricio Espinos failed to react, leaving his compatriot and referee Jorge Larrionda to gasp "Oh, my God!" when he saw film at half-time, the regime of England coach Fabio Capello had entered its most critical phase.

No doubt it will be assailed from many quarters now, and when all is said it seems improbable in the extreme that he will decide to soldier on in the face of disaster. But in the raging and recrimination it will surely be folly not to recognise a truth beyond the power of the most brilliant coach.

It is that Capello left no player behind in England who might have significantly affected this latest example of German football's ability to remake itself into a formidable force every four years. And that those he brought to South Africa, whether it was because we grossly overestimated their ability, or (as Franz Beckenbauer has been suggesting so strongly these last few days) that they were indeed burnt out from too much football, simply were not equal to the challenge.

Lampard fought the realities exploding around his head with most resilience. He smashed a free kick against the crossbar, and had his goal been allowed he might have been emboldened to extend the authority of his performance under the heaviest of pressure.

As it was, the captain, Steven Gerrard, lapsed into terminal futility and the nightmare of Wayne Rooney simply gathered pace. England's defence, robbed of more poise than was feared when Rio Ferdinand was cut down before the tournament, was simply dismantled before our eyes. Matthew Upson, almost contemptuously bypassed when German veteran Miroslav Klose opened the scoring, scored a classic set-piece goal, but it could not disguise the fact that when Germany played at their most coherently the latest collision between the nations was increasingly a grotesque mismatch.

Capello said that there are so many things to consider for the future, and that if the mistake of the referee was "important" it was also probably true that his players came here a "little tired".

There were times, and not only at the end of an increasingly one-sided contest, when they looked more than that. They looked shot through and bewildered. In the ensuing inquest, some extremely hard questions have to be asked. Not just about a World Cup performance so bad that we have to go to 1950 and that humiliating defeat in Brazil by the part-timers and amateurs of the United States for a comparison, but about the very foundations of our national game.

English football boasts of the richest, most glamorous league in the world, but there was little indication of benefit to the team. English football lacks a national training centre for the pick of its young players, and scarcely 40 per cent of them get the chance to develop at the top of their own leagues. These are the kind of issues that demand attention today, perhaps even to the point of a government inquiry into the perilous finances of the leading clubs.

Meanwhile, Fifa has one more reason to re-examine its policy of banning technology from the game.

Yesterday, Fifa president Sepp Blatter watched stony-faced as reality was stood on its head when Lampard's goal was denied. This, though, was a matter for world football and its continued credibility. For England, there was the pain of victimhood but also a terrible fact that could not be ignored.

It was that they were leaving the World Cup, more than anything, for the most basic of reasons. They were simply not good enough.

Half-century of modest form

1958 fail to get beyond group stage

1962 lose to Brazil in quarter-finals

1966 winners, beating West Germany in the final

1970 lose to West Germany in quarter-finals

1974 fail to qualify

1978 fail to qualify

1982 knocked out in second group stage

1986 lose to Argentina in quarter- finals

1990 lose to West Germany in semi- finals

1994 fail to qualify

1998 lose in second round to Argentina

2002 lose in quarter-finals to Brazil

2006 lose in quarter-finals to Portugal

2010 lose in second round to Germany

England fans around the world left heartbroken after German defeat
By Patrick Mulchrone and Adrian Shaw 27/06/2010

Devastated England fans drowned their sorrows last night as England were dumped out of the World Cup in humiliating fashion.

Hopes were high at first. The sun shone, hardly anyone was at work, and after England went two goals down to the Germans, spirits soared again when they pulled one back.

But as the final whistle blew on a 4-1 thrashing, England fans poured out of pubs up and down the country, and all around the world, asking what had gone so wrong.

At the Glastonbury festival, two huge screens showed the second-round game but anticipation turned to anger and, finally, humiliation for the estimated 80,000 spectators.

“Rubbish,” declared Jules Chadwick. “Fabio Capello should go. He’ll be OK though – he’ll get millions. We needed David Beckham out there. He cares. The others don’t.”

Terry Jenkins, 55, said: “I’m ­embarrassed. They should be booed when they arrive back at Heathrow. I think I might even go myself.”

In Manchester, supporters poured away from the city’s Castlefield area and three big screens when the Germans scored their fourth.

A small scuffle broke out and a fan was ejected.

Jon Walsh, 33, said: “Our defence was flat and the Germans were able to drive straight through us.

“It needed a good talk from Capello at half-time and some ­inspirational changes. They never came.”

Dan Pettecrew, 36, said that goal-line technology could have changed England’s fortunes after Frank Lampard’s effort was controversially ruled out.

“It would have been 2-2 then and England’s attitude would have changed,” he said. “Instead, their heads went down.”

Tin hats and toy Spitfire planes were dotted around the crowd.

By the final whistle, they had all disappeared.

Thousands who left England’s sun-drenched beaches to watch the game were also left bitterly disappointed.

At the Pig and Whistle pub in Bournemouth, Dorset, hundreds watched the drama unfold on five giant screens.

Phil Hoyle, 35, said: “I have a large St George flag at home and I will cross out the red bits so I just have a white flag – because we surrendered.”

Dan Oliver, 30, added: “I wished I’d stayed on the beach and listened to the cricket.” At the Hootenanny in Brixton, South London, Ben Hubbard, 41, said: “It was a tale of shame. Our pampered millionaires were dreadful. It was a case of schoolboys against men.”

In Newcastle’s packed Times Square, Joel Stobbart, 21, said: “Every game has been a let-down for the England fans. I haven’t
been impressed by anybody.”

John Coyne, 43, added: “I’m gutted. Germany deserved to win and that’s very hard to say.”

The mood was more celebratory at the Zeitgeist, a German pub in Kennington, South London. Arne Schmidt, 29, said: “One of the highlights was when Lampard had a shot, it hit the crossbar and obviously went in, but the goal was disallowed.

“It was fantastic for a German. Maybe not for the English.”

A Shared Experience Is Even Better When We're Rubbish

Come on, admit it. You enjoyed yourself. Setting aside the score, for its glorious moments of failure and outrage, yesterday's game provided plenty of opportunity for what we English like to do best: carp, bitch and try to outstrip each other with increasingly hyperbolic criticism.

"I'd say that was about four levels below abysmal," said Alan Hansen, throwing down the gauntlet, moments after Rooney and his pals had trooped off the pitch at full time. Lee Dixon, next to him in the BBC studio, judged it "the worst team performance I've ever seen. Quite frankly, it was awful."

What took you so long, Lee? Among the four viewers in my living room, the snorts of derision had begun long before the TV pundits let rip. In fact I believe the first "rubbish" is muttered just five minutes into the game, quickly followed by groans and a fairly detailed discussion of the shortcomings of Emile Heskey, not even on the pitch at the time.

When Klose scores, running up the pitch toward the goalmouth, utterly unimpeded by English defenders, there are hands over faces. "This is a goal you'll see in every pub game," says Mark Lawrenson, commentating for the BBC. Good line! And so it went on. After the Podolski goal, he tells us, "England's World Cup dream is dying... in Blomfontein." The pathos, however, is in full flow. "Of course, we're losing in terms of goals, but we're convincingly beating them on corners," says one of the counsel of experts on my sofa.

Each player gets their chance to be thoroughly derided by the jury: "Fat Frank", who, I learn, is very skilled at aiming a free kick directly at a wall of men; Gerrard, who "should be taken off if he boots it at the goal like that again"; the long suffering Terry, who is "never in position". It's more fun than watching election night. I even manage to get a laugh with the observation that the inexperienced German side seem to be doing well despite their lack of international class. Hey, this is fun!

If there are moments when it is too embarrassing to look at the TV screen, Twitter provides entertaining vitriol in real time. After Lampard's goal goes unawarded, a campaign to send messages directly to Sepp Blatter quickly builds up. Eddie Izzard joins in (who knew he was a football fan?) "Find out where that referee is from. And get MI6 on the phone," tweets @Queen_UK. The real John Prescott blogs that Joe Cole should be brought on, a suggestion that, in my home at least, causes howls of derision; Capello must've been looking for ideas though, for 15 minutes later, he does just that.

A fourth goal, the pressure's off, and the black humour really begins to flow. "And Germany are into the last eight, where they belong," says the commentator, mournfully, to raucous laughter at this end. A chap called Gary Delaney tweets: "MISSING: Can you help? Wayne Rooney, Cheshire area, 24, white male. Last seen March 2010."

As the game ends, Gary Lineker begins the inevitable "inquiry" into why our "golden generation" of millionaire players can't get the hang of playing as a team.

I'm still enjoying the full-time tweet by Sgtbeefmeat: "It's gonna be really difficult for England to win the World Cup now." True. And it's such a shame we'll have to wait four years to do this all again.

Old Failings Put England Back On The Road To Nowhere

English football could go two ways this morning: we could spend weeks blaming the patently incompetent Uruguayan linesman Mauricio Espinosa for his failure to spot that Frank Lampard's shot had crossed the line. Or we could just admit that, yet again, the England team has proved itself woefully ineffectual against the best in the world.

Back on the road to nowhere yesterday, you can add Bloemfontein to Shizuoka and Gelsenkirchen among those litany of places where this generation of English players have run up against the limits of their own talent. The hapless Mr Espinosa and the referee Jorge Larrionda has trespassed on to the scene of a familiar tragedy – and they have undoubtedly made it worse – but blaming them for England's humiliation would be an act of gross collective denial.

Unfortunately for Capello it looked as if he was leading the way among the blame lobby, as if the shot that crossed the line was the epochal moment of England's entire tournament. "You don't know the psychology or the mind of the players," he said, the suggestion being that the deflation of that moment had been the overriding factor in a tournament in which England played one decent game in four.

Sorry Fabio, but that sounds like the worst kind of English apologist. The same voice that said four years ago that Cristiano Ronaldo and his dastardly wink was to blame for Wayne Rooney's red card in Gelsenkirchen. Or told us that Ronaldinho's goal in 2002 was just a lucky cross that went in.

Having already conceded two shocking goals, England rallied briefly at the end of the first and the beginning of the second when Lampard struck the bar again. They were then cut to shreds by the likes of Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller, two footballers whose careers have scarcely begun but who looked eminently more suited to this stage than the men who we have grown accustomed to calling our golden generation.

Unfortunately for the player who is supposed to shine brighter than any other, for Rooney yesterday afternoon was yet another non-event. The best thing he has done all World Cup? Probably that sliding tackle on Franck Ribéry that was dreamed up by the optimists in Nike's marketing department.

Rooney cannot take all the blame. It was not him who was muscled aside by Miroslav Klose for the first goal (Matthew Upson). It was not him who allowed Müller to run free to cross for the second (Ashley Cole). Neither did he let the same German beat him at his near post on 67 minutes (David James). Rooney's problem is that he did precious little.

When they go searching for answers in the weeks and months to come, it would be wrong for Capello to take all the blame. He took a team that was not even among the best 16 sides in Europe two years ago to the last 16 of a World Cup finals. His triumph was qualification but in South Africa he made mistakes. The last of which was the mind-boggling introduction of Emile Heskey for Jermain Defoe with England trailing 4-1.

Heskey? It was the move of a coach who has ceased to think clearly. Given that Heskey averages a goal for England every 500 minutes he spends on the pitch for England, statistically there would have been no guarantee he would have scored if the unreliable Mr Larrionda had played on for a further eight hours. It begs the question what on earth it is that Capello has against Peter Crouch that he kept ignoring his most reliable goalscorer.

As for Capello, his future now seems to hang on a meeting with Sir Dave Richards, who, as the newly-appointed chairman of Club England, will be the decisive voice on the future of the manager. There may well be a clamour for Capello to go. But the question that presents itself is: who next? Who would want to pick this team up in time for that friendly against Hungary on 11 August at Wembley – a game that promises to have about as much atmosphere as one of Mars' moons?

Germany scored the first on 19 minutes when a goal-kick from Manuel Neuer drifted over John Terry's head and took one bounce before Upson was shoved aside by Klose who toed the ball past James. James was forced to save another with his feet from Klose before Germany scored again. Left to right, England were sliced apart and Lukas Podolski scored at the back post.

Yes, there were moments. A James Milner cross that Lampard got his toe to and then Upson's goal which was headed in from Gerrard's cross. Then came the 1966 moment with six minutes of the half to go. The ball broke loose and Lampard's shot off the underside of the bar crossed the line. Espinosa was miles out of position. Larrionda, who had even messed up the pre-match coin toss, failed to see it.

There was English indignation. Beckham followed Larrionda down the tunnel, gesturing with his hands the distance the ball had crossed the line as if he was boasting about the size of a fish he had just caught. For the first 10 minutes of the next half England were better. Lampard clipped the bar with a shot and Rooney almost squeezed a few passes through the Germany defence.

The German response was their usual joyfully cruel counter-attacking. They broke from the edge of their own box for the third goal, dispossessing Gareth Barry and within three passes Bastian Schweinsteiger had played in Müller for his second. Minutes later Joe Cole lost the ball, Ozil got away from Barry on the left and Müller tucked it in at the back post.

It was exhilarating stuff to watch - but only if you happened to be wearing leather trousers and the golden eagle of the German football federation. Capello's two final substitutions, Heskey and Shaun Wright-Phillips were a low point. But as the whistle went and the team departed it was a struggle to remember the good times for England at this World Cup.

Germany (4-2-3-1): Neuer (Schalke); Lahm (Bayern Munich), Freidrich (Hertha Berlin), Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Boateng (Hamburg); Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Khedira (Stuttgart); Müller (Bayern Munich), Ozil (Werder Bremen), Podolski (Cologne); Klose (Bayern Munich). Substitutions: Trochowski (Hamburg) for Müller 71; Gomez (Bayern Munich) for Klose 71; Kiessling (Bayer Leverkusen) for Ozil 83.

England (4-4-2): James (Portsmouth); Johnson (Liverpool), Upson (West Ham), Terry (Chelsea), A Cole (Chelsea); Milner (Aston Villa), Lampard (Chelsea), Barry (Manchester City), Gerrard (Liverpool); Defoe (Tottenham), Rooney (Manchester United). Substitutions: J Cole (Chelsea) for Milner (65), Heskey (Aston Villa) for Defoe (71); Wright-Phillips (Manchester City) for Johnson (86).

Referee: J Larrionda (Uruguay) .

Man of the match: Müller.

Attendance: 40,510.

Englan's loss in stats

32 Wayne Rooney lost the ball by being tackled in possession 32 times, more often than any other player at the 2010 World Cup finals.

6 Germany scored four goals from six shots on target, while England mustered seven attempts on target.

55 Wayne Rooney completed only 55 per cent of his passes against Germany, less than any other player.

4 The last time England conceded four goals in a World Cup finals game was in a 1954 quarter-final v Uruguay.

37 Frank Lampard’s free-kick against the bar was his 37th shot without scoring at a World Cup.

0 England have not won a game in which they’ve conceded a goal since beating Cameroon 3-2 in 1990.