Pro Sports

England fans celebrate beating Germany at Euro 2020

Posted June 29, 2021 7:00 am

By DANIELLA MATAR

England's Raheem Sterling celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Euro 2020 soccer championship round of 16 match between England and Germany at Wembley Stadium in England, Tuesday June 29, 2021. (Justin Tallis, Pool Photo via AP) The Associated Press

LONDON (AP) - Years of despair. Decades of distress. Eons of agony.

It's nothing but history now, because England has finally beaten Germany again in a knockout match at a major soccer tournament.

'œIt's absolutely brilliant as an old man, after seeing us keep losing to the Germans for a while,'ť said England fan Steve Line, a 61-year-old gardener from Milton Keynes who made his way to Wembley Stadium on Tuesday for the historic night. 'œIt's put it to bed now, hasn't it? Put it to bed.'ť

Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane were the ones who did the hard work, scoring a goal each to give England a 2-0 victory over Germany in the round of 16 of the European Championship.

The last time England had beaten a German team on such an occasion was in the 1966 World Cup final. Since then, there were many heart-breaking losses, like at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, at the 1990 World Cup in Italy, and at the 1996 European Championship at Wembley Stadium.

The Germans beat England in a penalty shootout in those Euro '96 semifinals, and it's been a source of anguish for the fans ever since.

'œI remember the pain of 1996, as a 12-year-old and having to go to school the next day,'ť said Terence Michael Anthony, now a 37-year-old accountant from London. 'œI hoped we would get revenge eventually, just not 25 years later.

'œWhen those goals went in, it felt like a quarter of a century of emotion poured out in the stands.'ť

Only about 40,000 fans were at Wembley to witness the epic victory because capacity was reduced amid the coronavirus pandemic, but the roaring crowd screamed and cheered like twice that much.

England will next play either Sweden or Ukraine in the Euro 2020 quarterfinals on Saturday in Rome. If they win that, the English will come back to Wembley for a semifinal match against either the Czech Republic or Denmark. The final is scheduled for July 11.

'œI think it's just a relief now that the draw opens up we've got a real chance of making it to the final,'ť said Richard Mills, a 36-year-old Payments Manager from London.

'œIt's good to get one over on the Germans, we owed them. But it's not so much revenge. We're a massive football nation, we need to be performing at the top level ... England are up there with the elite again.'ť

The spot in the quarterfinals follows a run to the semifinals at the last World Cup in Russia, and all of it under coach Gareth Southgate - a former England defender who knows all about the team's history with the Germans.

He missed the decisive penalty kick in the shootout loss in 1996.

'œPoor Gareth, but he's put it to bed,'ť Line said. 'œHe's a happy man now, so come on England.'ť

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England's Harry Kane, center, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Euro 2020 soccer championship round of 16 match between England and Germany at Wembley stadium in London, Tuesday, June 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool) The Associated Press

England's manager Gareth Southgate celebrates at the end of the Euro 2020 soccer match round of 16 between England and Germany at Wembley stadium in London, Tuesday, June 29, 2021. (John Sibley/Pool via AP) The Associated Press

England's manager Gareth Southgate reacts at the end of the Euro 2020 soccer championship round of 16 match between England and Germany at Wembley stadium in London, Tuesday, June 29, 2021. England won 2-0. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, Pool) The Associated Press

England's manager Gareth Southgate, left, hugs with Germany's manager Joachim Loew at the end of the Euro 2020 soccer match round of 16 between England and Germany at Wembley stadium in London, Tuesday, June 29, 2021. (John Sibley/Pool via AP) The Associated Press

From left, England's Declan Rice, Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish celebrate at the end of the Euro 2020 soccer championship round of 16 match between England and Germany, at Wembley stadium in London, Tuesday, June 29, 2021. England won 2-0. (Andy Rain, Pool via AP) The Associated Press

England's Kieran Trippier, center, Jordan Henderson, left, and Raheem Sterling, right, celebrate at the end of the Euro 2020 soccer match round of 16 between England and Germany at Wembley stadium in London, Tuesday, June 29, 2021. (John Sibley/Pool via AP) The Associated Press

England's Harry Kane celebrates with Raheem Sterling after scoring his side' second goal, during the Euro 2020 soccer championship round of 16 match between England and Germany, at Wembley stadium in London, Tuesday, June 29, 2021. (Andy Rain, Pool via AP) The Associated Press

From left, England's Kieran Trippier, Raheem Sterling, Jordan Henderson and Luke Shaw celebrate at the end of the Euro 2020 soccer championship round of 16 match between England and Germany, at Wembley stadium in London, Tuesday, June 29, 2021. England won 2-0. (Andy Rain, Pool via AP) The Associated Press

England's Kyle Walker and teammates celebrate after Harry Kane scored his side's 2nd goal during the Euro 2020 soccer championship round of 16 match between England and Germany, at Wembley stadium in London, Tuesday, June 29, 2021. (Andy Rain, Pool via AP) The Associated Press

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