Germany midfielder Toni Kroos admitted his side “lacked effectiveness” as they were eliminated in the round of 16 after England struck two second-half goals in the ongoing Euro 2020 at Wembley Stadium.
England matched Germany’s 3-5-2 formation and the sides cancelled each other out for much of the first half. Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane, then scored in the second half to seal a spot for Three Lions in the quarter-finals as they took down Germany 2-0.
“It was a very even game until the goal against us,” Goal.com quoted Kroos as a saying. “Both teams neutralised each other. Maybe we lacked effectiveness. We progressed from a difficult group but this is very disappointing right now.”
With this defeat, Germany’s head coach Joachim Low’s 15-year tenure ended at Wembley as Die Mannschaft just weren’t able to make the most of their attacking potential at Euro 2020. This was for the very first time since the 1966 World Cup final that an English side defeated Germany in the knockout match of a major tournament.
“It is a disappointment for all of us. We hoped for more, the faith in the team was absolutely there. We had two great chances, but, unfortunately, we didn’t score any goals,” Joachim said. “We’re sorry we’re out of the tournament but we’ve worked hard for the past four weeks, and everyone has pulled along well.”
Germany have won just one of their last six Euro final tournament matches as the Mannschaft failed to score for only the third time in 30 fixtures.
“I can’t blame anyone. I am sorry that the great enthusiasm at home is now gone. The disappointment weighs heavily. An hour or two has to pass before you can say a few words to the team. All players are utterly disappointed, so are we,’ Low added.
Southgate’s side is now all focused on their Quarter Final clash against Ukraine who defeated Sweden later in the night by 2-1 after an enthralling extra-time. (ANI)
