After 55 years of pain, England beat Germany once again with Raheem sterling - their Euro 2020 hero- and Harry Kane advancing them to the quarter-finals with a win of 2-0 over their great rivals.Sterling scored the England goals in the group stage and started and ended their second-half move to brighten up an otherwise tense and stodgy match and sent the majority of the 45,000 Wembley fans wild with delight.Thomas Muller had an amazing chance to level the match, but he shot wide. England took full control. Kane, despite a difficult campaign sofar and a first-half in which he was completely starved of ball, put England in complete control.Germany was unbeaten at Wembley for seven games, and had not lost a competitive fixture at England’s national stadium since 1966 World Cup final. But Gareth Southgate's new players made history on Tuesday evening.Southgate also scored a victory against the team against whom he had missed the crucial penalty at Euro 96. He will now focus on winning the title, which England was so close to 25-years ago.They will next be facing Sweden or Ukraine in Rome - after a win that will be cherished for many years, they will travel to Italy with a renewed sense of faith.England Player Ratings: Pickford (9), Walker ((6)), Maguire (7). Stones (7). Trippier (7). Phillips (7). Rice (6). Shaw (6). Saka (7). Sterling (9. Kane (7).Subs: Grealish ((8), Henderson (N/A).Germany: Neuer, Ginter, (5) and Hummels, (7). Rudiger, (6). Kimmich, (6). Kroos, (5). Goretzka, Goretzka, Goretzka, Gosens, (5). Havertz, Werner, (5). Muller, (5).Subs: Gnabry ((5)), Can (N/A), Sane, Musiala and Sane (N/A), Musiala (6)Raheem Sterling (England), is the man of the matchHow England made history...The atmosphere was electric with 45,000 more supporters at kick-off. But it was Germany who settled quickly. Declan Rice was forced to foul Leon Goretzka after the midfielder broke into England's back three.Team news England changed to a 3-4-5-3 formation. Kieran Trippier replaced Jack Grealish as the starting XI. Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker and John Stones form a back three. Bukayo Saka is in attack with Raheem sterling and Harry Kane.Germany's Ilkay Gundogan was unable to play due to injury. Leon Goretzka took his place in the midfield while Thomas Muller and Timo Werner were moved forward.Kai Havertz kicked that free kick into England's wall, and the hosts finally found a foothold. Sterling tested Manuel Neuer from a distance with his first shot on 16 minutes.His efforts galvanized his team-mates, and England, with Bukayo Sua leading the charge for England, won a series free kicks around the Germany box, before Harry Maguire crossed over Kieran Trippier from the right.Image: Timo Werner is denied by Jordan Pickford at WembleyEngland struggled to get through captain Kane despite the formation change. He had only two touches in the first half of the game. Jordan Pickford denied Timo Werner from close range, making his runs more dangerous.Five minutes before the break, Kane finally got the ball in space at midfield, but his pass to Kalvin Phillips, a Leeds man, was too late. A Mats Hummels clearance prevented Phillips from grabbing a Trippier free kick in the box.Image: Kane is challenged in Germany by Mats HummelsHummels was again there at the half-time whistle, pouncing on Kane’s poor touch following Sterling's surge run to end a good chance.Germany immediately took the lead after the break. However, Pickford made a brilliant stop to keep the score level. The England forward launched a left-foot rocket at goal, but Pickford's reaction was lightning fast and he pushed it over the bar.Sterling was again the one who got England moving. He sat down Goretzka, then dribbled into a group of German defenders in the box before running into traffic. After a quick one with Kane, both teams were getting bogged down in midfield.There were changes and Grealish was sent by Southgate to continue his performance. Germany turned to Serge Gnabry.England was ahead eight minutes later.Image: Raheem sterling celebrates his England opening against GermanySterling was the goal-scorer and instigator. He drove at the Germany defense before finding Kane. Kane then ferried it to Grealish. Sterling tapped in his trademark style when Luke Shaw was fed by the Villa man and his cross into the six yard box by Sterling.It was England's 48th shot, and Wembley burst into life.It was then that a crucial moment occurred. Havertz was in Muller, but the Bayern Munich legend shot his shot just inches short of Pickford's goalkeeper. The German players were devastated. England fans were thrilled.England capitalized four minutes after the time.Image: Timo Werner is denied by Jordan Pickford at WembleyGrealish was again involved, but it was pure joy for Kane who had suffered and struggled throughout this tournament.After Shaw had won the ball back at midfield, Grealish passed to Grealish and exposed the German defense. The England captain was in a perfect position to return the pass to Grealish.It was Joachim Low's last match as Germany manager. Southgate was overwhelmed by the applause as they walked down the tunnel in preparation for Saturday.Managers' commentsGareth Southgate, England manager: "The players weren't small. They were huge all the way through the team. The stadium was buzzing with energy. It was very special for these people to feel that joy today after such a hard year at home.It didn't take me long to tell you that Saturday was the day we were discussing. We need to ensure that we get well-rested after today's performance.It's a very dangerous time for us. There is a feeling in the country that all we have to do to win this thing is to show up. But it will be a huge challenge from now on. They should feel confident based on how they have played. However, we came here with an intent and we have not yet achieved that.Germany boss Joachim Low: "The talent is there, but at the knockout stage any mistake can prove fatal or decisive." We lack experience in certain situations. In all our matches, there were times when we weren’t clinical or effective enough."The players had a positive attitude and a positive personality. They worked hard. However, there were times in our matches when we couldn’t enforce our rules. It can happen that you get punished or eliminated."Over the past 15 years, there have been many positive events. The highlight was the 2014 World Cup, followed by the Confederations Cup in which we won with a young team. There were many other moments and spells. It is possible to make strong connections and have formed strong bonds."Since 2018, we've had some problems, difficult phases, and in the end it hasn't happened. It's there, it will be there for a while, and you won't forget about that after a few days. Although I will be unable to take the time I need, I know there are many positive aspects I can draw from the past 15 years.Opta stats: England sets new recordsEngland beat Germany at Wembley in a competitive match for the first time since 1966 World Cup final. They had been unbeaten in their three previous encounters.After Germany in 2016, England is the second European Championship side to not concede in any of its first four games. England has never conceded at a major tournament before, at the 1966 World Cup.England won 10 of the 15 major tournament matches at Wembley Stadium, marking their 300th international match.After going 27 games without scoring, Raheem Sterling now has 15 goals in his 20 last appearances in England's competitions.England will face either Sweden or Ukraine in Saturday's quarter-finals at Euro 2020 Rome, starting at 8 p.m.
