England Football Team concluded their disappointing Nations League campaign with a 3-3 draw against Germany at the Wembley Stadium. After conceding early in the 2nd half, England rallied from 2 goals down to slot 3 goals in a space of 12 minutes just to concede in the dying minutes allowing Germany to halt an epic comeback.
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The match turned sides frequently in the final quarter of the match. Centre-back Harry Maguire who has lost his place in Manchester United’s starting 11, started for Gareth Southgate as the England manager remains loyal to his defender before the world cup. Maguire however had a horror game where he made 2 mistakes which ultimately led to 2 goals from Germany.
Harry Maguire lost the ball and then fouled Jamal Musiala in the box to concede a penalty 7 minutes into the 2nd half. Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan converted the spot kick to give Germany a lead. Maguire was again the source of mistake when he lost possession in the 67th minute and was out of his position when Chelsea’s Kai Havertz slotted in a beautiful curling goal to give Germany a 2-0 lead.
The mistakes are raising questions about Gareth Southgate’s selection and the place of Maguire in the team. He has been the subject of intense troll for the past month and he was unable to once again convince the fans of his abilities as a top defender. It has to be seen if Southgate remains loyal to his defender or drops him amidst much noise.
England was on its way to 3rd consecutive defeat but players rallied together to turn the match on its head. Manchester United’s left-back Luke Shaw got one back in the 71st minute before Mason Mount who was substituted slotted in the equalizer 4 minutes later. Germany center-back Nico Schlotterbeck fouled Jude Bellingham inside the box, conceding a penalty to England.
England captain Harry Kane converted the spot kick to complete a thrilling comeback in a space of 12 minutes that looked to be giving way for a famous victory at Wembley. The celebrations were short-lived as goalkeeper Nick Pope failed to cleanly collect and clear the shot from Serge Gnabry, which allowed Kai Havertz to slot in his 2nd goal of the night to disappoint England just 3 minutes from fulltime.
Gareth Southgate has a lot to think about England starting 11
Manager Gareth Southgate is being questioned on the selections of Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire who are low on game time due to not playing regularly for Manchester United. Maguire is subject to poor form in recent months and his mistakes against Germany have only made the discussions about him worse. England has played its last match before their opening game against Iran in the World Cup.
England has not won a match since March 2022, when they last defeated Ivory Coast 3-0. Before the match against Germany, the team had also failed to register an open play goal for a stretch of 5 matches.
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“I know everybody will focus on Harry but there were some very important moments that Harry delivered during the two matches,” said Southgate, referring also to Friday’s 1-0 defeat in Italy.
“Luke was another example of somebody that is an outstanding footballer, so what do we do? Not pick Luke Shaw because he’s not playing enough football, or do we pick a player that can do what you saw tonight?
“That’s always going to raise debate but I think in these moments we’ve got to back our best and most experienced players, unless we’re in a situation where it’s almost untenable and impossible to pick them.”
The energetic comeback against Germany had moments when England played at their best. With World Cup just a few weeks away, fans will be hoping for much better performances if England is to challenge seriously for the title.
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