Germany vs England LIVE: Nations League result, final score and reaction tonight
Follow all the action from Munich as the Three Lions look to bounce back from defeat to Hungary
England get away with one, but also get a lot to think about.
Harry Kane scored his 50th international goal with a contentious late penalty, to secure a 1-1 draw against Germany that Gareth Southgate’s side probably didn’t deserve. The mixed feelings were further emphasised by the context. This was undeniably a good result, from a middling performance, that also represents the first time that England have failed to win two consecutive games since June 2019.
That stat shows how far they’ve come, but maybe reminds there is also a bit to go. It was not a quirk that they failed to win this game, for all the caveats of a Nations League game.
The most notable aspect of the match was how Germany looked like they would play this way regardless of the fixture.
Hansi Flick has given them a new identity, that is itself so easy to see. It is something England still lack, and does raise more questions about what next for the summer. It is not all Southgate is missing, mind.
His side also lack the kind of notional holding midfielder that can play the sort of through ball Joshua Kimmich did in the 50th minute of this match, so divinely setting up Jonas Hofmann for his third international goal.
England did rally, though, which is to their credit.
Follow all the match reaction from Munich below:
Germany to take the knee in show of solidarity with England
Ilkay Gundogan confirmed Germany would take the knee in a show of solidarity with England after the anti-racism gesture was jeered by stands filled with children in Hungary.
The depressing reaction greeted the stance in Saturday’s Nations League opener at the Puskas Arena, which was half full despite the hosts serving a Uefa punishment for discriminatory behaviour at Euro 2020.
There were around 35,000 in attendance for a match that was supposedly being played behind closed doors as Hungary made the most out of regulations that allowed children to attend in such circumstances.
Germany to take the knee in show of solidarity with England
The Germans joined England in taking the knee before the Euro 2020 last-16 tie at Wembley
Southgate looking to emulate Germany
Gareth Southgate wants England to emulate countries like Germany and Brazil as they look to win trophies on the international stage and says that the German’s winning mentality is what he is trying to create in his squad.
"Germany and Brazil are still the benchmark in terms of the countries who have consistently won tournaments," says the England boss.
"Even when everyone will talk about the 5-1 [England’s 2001 victory over Germany in a World Cup qualifier] here, Germany ended up in the World Cup final on the back of that qualifying campaign.
"So, you have to respect what they’ve been as a country and what they are as a country in footballing terms - and that mentality is what we’re trying to create.
"We’ve got to keep getting to the final stages of competitions, and games like tomorrow are brilliant for us. They’re exactly the kind of test we need."
A new era for Germany
The last time these two sides met was in the Euro 2020 knockout stages with England winning 2-0 in what was Joachim Low’s final match in charge of the German national side.
Low was replaced with former Bayern Munich boss, Hansi Flick, who has so far led the Germans to a 10 games unbeaten run which includes their 1-1 draw with Italy last time out.
Flick praised England’s "extraordinary players" and said "they could form three national teams".
"Their game is very physical. Harry Kane is a world-class striker, he has a huge quality," he said. “It will be a big game for us and it will be important to implement our plan well."
Southgate’s Nations League record
England had a good inaugural campaign in the Nations League, making it to the semi-finals and eventually finishing third behind Netherlands and Portugal in the 2019 edition.
However, the tournament hasn’t always been fantastic for manager Gareth Southgate.
Five of his 11 defeats in charge of the national team have come in this competition which is more than he’s lost in any other competition since taking charge of the Three Lions.
His Nations League record is five wins, three draws and five defeats. Will he improve on that with a victory over Germany tonight?
Germany vs England: Talking points ahead of Nations League clash
England will look to bounce back from their surprise Nations League defeat to Hungary when they travel to face Germany on Tuesday night.
The Three Lions beat their old foes en route to the Euro 2020 final last summer and will be hoping to repeat the feat to kick start their Nations League campaign.
Here we take a look at the main talking points ahead of the meeting at the Allianz Arena:
Talking points ahead of Germany vs England Nations League clash
England defeated Germany at Euro 2020
More goals needed says Southgate
England boss Gareth Southgate has called on his attacking players to start scoring more goals as the Three Lions are currently reliant on Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling to put the ball in the back of the net.
The Three Lions are looking to respond after a 1-0 defeat to Hungary last Saturday - a game which saw Kane drop deeper to get on the ball and Sterling remain on the bench throughout.
Of the current England squad only three players have five goals or more at the international level with those being Kane (49), Sterling (19) and Harry Maguire (seven).
"What is clear is that in terms of goals, we are heavily reliant on Raheem [Sterling] and Harry [Kane]," Southgate said. "There are opportunities for others to step into that fold, because the squad we have got with us, I think Harry Maguire is the next in terms of goals scored.
"We do need those attacking players in particular to step forward and start to give us threats from other areas. Bukayo Saka has started to do that and Mason Mount has got the odd goal, but that is the challenge now for this whole group."
Southgate on Germany
England boss, Gareth Southgate, has been speaking about tonight’s Nations League clash with Germany and what he is expecting from the game.
“This will be a brilliant test of what we’re about and where we are at, at this particular moment in time.” he said.
England looking to bounce back
England’s run of 22 games unbeaten, excluding the penalty shootout loss in the Euro 2020 final to Italy, cam to an end on Saturday after they slumped to a 1-0 defeat away to Hungary in their Nations League opener.
Gareth Southgate’s men never really kicked into top gear and were second best on a night where Southgate handed debuts to James Justin and Jarrod Bowen. Justin picked up a knock at the end of the first half and had to go off but Bowen was England’s brightest attacking spark playing on the right side of a forward three along with Harry Kane and Mason Mount.
The deciding moment in the game came after Gareth Southgate’s triple substitution which introduced Reece James who gave away a penalty kick shortly afterwards. Dominik Szoboszlai guided it home superbly and Hungary held on to their slender lead to beat England for the first time in 60 years.
The Three Lions will want to bounce back against Germany tonight with Southgate expected to make a few changes to the starting XI as he continues to look at the players in his squad with an eye on the World Cup this winter.
England vs Germany
Welcome to The Independent’s build-up and live coverage of England’s clash with Germany in Munich this evening.
The two sides are set to renew their rivalry this evening, with the match in Munich the second Nations League encounter of this year’s group stage for both.
Gareth Southgate’s team lost to Hungary in their opener, while Germany were held to a draw by Italy as Hansi Flick’s side made it 10 unbeaten since their Euro 2020 exit.
That last defeat came at the hands of England, as it happens, giving Die Mannschaft plenty of reason to want to find the route to victory this time around.
Stay with us for all the build-up and then live coverage of the game itself.
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