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Bedlam at Wembley as England beat Germany 2-0 to reach Euro 2020 quarter-finals

England have beaten Germany 2-0 at Wembley to book their place in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020.

Second-half goals from Raheem Sterling and skipper Harry Kane were enough to see England progress to the last eight.

It was not all plain sailing for the home side – but fans could have been forgiven for thinking it was their night when Thomas Muller missed a golden opportunity to equalise on 81 minutes.

Soccer Football - Euro 2020 - Round of 16 - England v Germany - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - June 29, 2021 Germany's Mats Hummels tackles England's Harry Kane Pool via REUTERS/Matthew Childs
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Harry Kane missed a decent opportunity in the first half

The Germany veteran – who scored twice against England in their 2010 World Cup exit – was put through on goal and inexplicably dragged wide.

Five minutes later Kane stepped up to nod home from close range to seal the win.

Following the final whistle, Sterling said: “We needed to put in a performance against a very good side and I thought we did that today.

“Scoring for your country is always special – so this is a very special moment for me.

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“It was an all-round great team performance.”

Victory was all the sweeter for manager Gareth Southgate, who missed a crucial penalty in the Euro 96 semi-final shootout against the same opponents.

More than 40,000 supporters were in Wembley for the country’s biggest match on home soil since that fateful day.

In the crowd to enjoy the victory were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their seven-year-old son Prince George.

Other famous faces included former Three Lions skipper David Beckham, and musician Ed Sheeran.

Thomas Mueller holds his head in his hands after missing a golden chance to equalise
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Thomas Muller holds his head in his hands after missing a golden chance to equalise

It was only England’s second ever European Championship knockout game win, five years on from the 2-1 humbling at the last-16 stage by minnows Iceland.

Southgate’s side will now go on to face either Sweden or Ukraine, who kick off at 8pm.

It has been suggested, with the likes of France, the Netherlands, and reigning European champions Portugal already eliminated, this is England’s best chance of a major tournament success since 1966.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge watch them game with Prince George
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge watch the game with Prince George

Before Tuesday evening, Germany had been a thorn in England’s side.

They had previously knocked the Three Lions out of the 1970, 1990 and 2010 World Cup (the first of those as West Germany), as well as the Euro 96 semi-finals.