Harry Kane’s late penalty rescued a draw for England against Germany as the Three Lions kept their Nations League campaign alive.
England’s scrappy form continued as the players felt the effects of the long, drawn-out season again. This time it was away to Germany, and they could only salvage a draw as Harry Kane’s late penalty kept England’s slim hopes in the UEFA Nations League alive.
Germany probably deserved to register a win for the quality of their performance and were unfortunate not to have scored more than the one Jonas Hofmann strike in the second half. The Borussia Monchengladbach man had seen a first-half effort get disallowed for offside before making amends in the second period.
After some quick link-up play outside the box, Joshua Kimmich’s accurate pass found Hofmann, who smashed a shot past Jordan Pickford, who could not save the strike despite getting a hand on the ball. Germany looked like they might score a few more, but England’s scrappy yet somewhat relentless defending saved the day.
After a dull first half from the Three Lions’ perspective, they ended the long stoppage period strongly after Bukayo Saka came close twice to test Manuel Neuer. After a fantastic performance until late in the game, Germany slipped up as Harry Kane was tripped inside the box and handed England a lifeline.
Backed by the #ThreeLions fans in Munich.
Thank you for following #EnglandAway ? pic.twitter.com/WYuQggE3s5
— England (@England) June 8, 2022
After much deliberation from VAR, the referee decided to watch the incident himself and award the Three Lions a spot-kick. That said, the decision looked questionable, considering Kane was offside in the build-up to the challenge. The England skipper stepped up and sent Neuer the wrong way to score his 50th goal for the national side.
With that strike, England kept their hopes in the UEFA Nations League, ahead of their game against Italy. After beating Hungary, the Azzurri are currently top of the group, while England remain bottom. They have to beat Italy in the next game to keep their hopes of remaining in the top tier. Here are the player ratings from the game between Germany and England.
Germany
Manuel Neuer: 8/10
A terrific outing for the veteran goalkeeper, who continued to show why he remains the best in the world. Neuer made some fantastic saves throughout the game, especially a close-range effort from Harry Kane in the second half while also getting a strong hand across shots from Bukayo Saka and Mason Mount.
Thats @Manuel_Neuer THE BEST OF THE WORLD!!!#GERENG #NEUER pic.twitter.com/dZ0nn8wc7N
— Der Pep-Flüsterer®️ (@FCBayernMinga) June 7, 2022
Lukas Klostermann: 7/10
The RB Leipzig man was a handful on Germany’s right-hand side as he troubled Kieran Trippier on the flank. Defensively, he did his part, particularly stopping a dangerous late cross from Jarrod Bowen, which could have hurt his side.
Antonio Rudiger: 6/10
Rudiger was instrumental in maintaining a high line and keeping Kane quiet for the most part. However, there was a late lapse in concentration to let the England striker through inside the box, but he was in top form.
Nico Schlotterbeck: 6/10
Nico Schlotterbeck is a very interesting kind of player.#GERENG pic.twitter.com/lNyXcrNOBz
— Between The Posts (@BetweenThePosts) June 8, 2022
A bright display from the new Borussia Dortmund defender, who strolled ahead with confidence and kept a tight line. He was involved in the collision that left Phillips injured early in the match. However, the centre-back was at fault for tripping Kane inside the box, which cost Germany their win.
Jonas Hofmann: 8/10
Hofmann was ideally supposed to be a right-wing-back, but the Borussia Monchengladbach man played much forward. After a strike in the first half was chalked off, the attacker got his reward with a well-hit goal early in the second half.
TOOOORRRR!!! No stopping Hoffi this time ⚽ (51')#DieMannschaft #GERENG 1-0 pic.twitter.com/2VbAFqLpCs
— Germany (@DFB_Team_EN) June 7, 2022
Ilkay Gundogan: 6/10
Gundogan provided some much-needed change in midfield from the previously ineffective Leon Goretzka. The Manchester City man added some impetus taking the ball forward, while his passing was sharp enough to trouble England’s defence. However, his work in the final third, or passing into the box, lacked the intent.
Joshua Kimmich: 8/10
Barring one moment when he lost concentration to give the ball away to Mount, Kimmich was once again one of Germany’s brightest outfield players. He got into sharp tackles and played the pass to unlock England’s defence in the second half.
David Raum: 7/10
Raum was a constant thorn for the English defence, as he constantly posed a threat on the left-hand side. Saka and Walker sometimes failed to get hold of his movements, as Raum was constantly bombarding down the flank to wreak havoc.
Thomas Muller: 5/10
Muller has struggled to make an impression for two games in a row, and the veteran playmaker continued to struggle. However, he did come close to doubling Germany’s lead, only to see his tame yet difficult effort reach Pickford with ease.
Jamal Musiala: 7/10
Musiala established himself as one of Germany’s most dangerous players in the first half; he constantly threatened to get close to scoring and was a menace inside the box. Unfortunately, he faded in the second period, but he will look back fondly at this performance against the nation he could have represented.
Kai Havertz: 6/10
Havertz worked hard and caused some problems in the final third, but England somehow marshalled him well and did not let him become a big threat. He did have a good chance in the first half but shot it high and was involved in the build-up to Germany’s goal in the second period.
SUBSTITUTES
Serge Gnabry: 6/10
Gnabry looked sharp after coming on and almost set up a goal with his first few passes.
Timo Werner: 5/10
Werner could not recreate the threat of Musiala, who he replaced, but the Chelsea man ran around and caused minor problems to England’s backline.
Leon Goretzka: 4/10
Goretzka replaced Muller and was equally ineffective as Hansi Flick looked at ways to finish the game.
Leroy Sane: N/A
Sane’s introduction was meant to cause England more problems as Flick looked for another goal to kill the game off. Instead, they conceded a late penalty and only managed to draw.
England
Jordan Pickford: 6/10
Pickford looked sharp for the most part, although there were some sloppy moments, like a bad punch, among a few things. He did make a few saves to keep the scores intact but should have done better with Hofmann’s strike, which hit his arm directly before heading into the net.
Kyle Walker: 5/10
Walker was troubled by Raum’s movements and pace, and the Manchester City man never settled in the game. There were a few moments of clarity with his defending, but overall, he seemed unsteady.
John Stones: 5/10
Stones was steady individually, but he could not keep his line or maintain pressure with his marshalling of the backline. However, he was immense in defending set pieces.
Harry Maguire: 4.5/10
Maguire was decent at the back and was good at defending set-pieces. However, he did have a physical battle with Havertz and, in the end, was caught out for the Hofmann goal, as he allowed the attacker plenty of space in a key zone.
Thanks for your unbelievable support #EnglandAway ? pic.twitter.com/ykzXIn5j5h
— Harry Maguire (@HarryMaguire93) June 8, 2022
Kieran Trippier: 5/10
Trippier operated on the left flank and had no impact in the final third despite being named as a right-sided wing-back. It was one of Gareth Southgate’s mistakes with selection, as Hofmann caused plenty of problems for the Newcastle man.
Kalvin Phillips: N/A
Phillips was forced off with an injury very early in the game.
Declan Rice: 5/10
Rice found it tough to manage the midfield on his own, as he was constantly outplayed by Kimmich and Gundogan in the central zones.
Bukayo Saka: 5.5/10
Saka struggled to get into the game early on but ended the first half strongly with two dangerous shots at goal. However, he was anonymous in the second period as England searched for an equaliser.
Mason Mount: 4/10
Mount did force Neuer into two good saves, but the attacking midfielder had Sterling in a fantastic position to create more danger. However, his lack of awareness has been standing out in the last few games for England and could soon become a problem.
Raheem Sterling: 5/10
Sterling was ineffective for most parts but did get into some dangerous positions where he could have been lethal. Otherwise, the German defence was on hand to handle him correctly.
Harry Kane: 7/10
Harry Kane is now only 3 goals away from being England's greatest goalscorer! ??
It's not a matter of if, but when!
??? pic.twitter.com/xZU3L7Cq1m— 90min (@90min_Football) June 8, 2022
Kane was kept quiet for the whole game before he ran into the box and earned a penalty. The England captain notched his 50th goal for England and is now only three behind all-time scorer Wayne Rooney.
SUBSTITUTES
Jude Bellingham: 7/10
Bellingham replaced the injured Phillips and put in a combative display against Kimmich and Gundogan. He was more adventurous, which left Rice to manage the midfield on his own at times.
Jude Bellingham’s defensive numbers vs Germany:
9/11 ground duels won (most)
7/7 tackels won (most)
8 ball recoveries
3 interceptions
1 blocked shotShowing his defensive side of the game very well. ???????? pic.twitter.com/7Up0ISR2Uh
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) June 7, 2022
Jack Grealish: 7/10
Grealish’s introduction added a spark to the attack for England, as the Manchester City star constantly created danger from the left side. However, he did make a fantastic chance for Kane, who missed his kick, in what could have been an improbable late winner.
Jarrod Bowen: 5/10
An impressive cameo from Bowen, who did threaten to break the lines for England. His dangerous cross late on, which might have proved lethal, was blocked.
