Euro 2020: Can England rewrite history against Germany tonight?

As England gears up to face their formidable German opponents tonight (9:30 IST), vying to end the Round of 16 better than the last clash that ended in a draw, here is a look at how ‘the three lions’ have fared against their rivals in the past.

The two teams have locked horns in 32 official matches, according to Goal, and England have emerged victorious 13 times, lost 15 times, and tied on 4 occasions.

The last game between the two ended with Germany claiming victory on November 10, 2017.

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Excluding friendlies, which have even results for both, history favours the Germans, who have won 6 out of 11 major tournaments – inclusive of either qualifiers or finals. However, football is no stranger to comeback stories, so only time can tell.

The first England vs Germany match, back in 1930, resulted in a draw (3-3), but the first time they met on a competitive platform in a major game was in London at the 1966 World Cup. England took that win at the Wembley after scoring 4 goals (with injury-time) versus Germany’s 2.

The 70s overhauled the victory dynamics, with Germany emerging as a force to reckon with, boasting a brilliant team under Franz Beckenbauer.

Much to England’s dismay, Germany ruled the world of football over the next three decades, adding 2 World Cups and 3 European Championships to their trophy cabinet.

England, on the other hand, was losing their streak. Their squad did not win any of the six major games against Germany since 1966, reports Goal. Penalty-blunders in the 1990 Word Cup and 1996 Euro made it worse.

You will find more infographics at Statista

England coach Gareth Southgate was a part of the 1996 Euro squad that had their hearts broken, but he says history will not affect his players tonight. He also clarified that this game had nothing to do with his tryst with Germany in 1996.

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“I can’t win this game,” he said. “It will be the players who win it. It’s important the focus is on them. The opportunity is theirs. What happened to me has helped in many different areas of my life, but it’s of no importance to this group of players and every time you play an opponent, it’s about two sets of players”, he was quoted saying, according to The Guardian.

“It’s about how well they prepared and how well they perform. There are always records in the Premier League of teams who haven’t won at certain grounds for 30 years but at some point that record gets broken. All those barriers are there to be knocked down in life and that’s the mentality we have got to have.”

England saw good times again in the early 2000s as the ‘Golden Generation’ dawned under Sven-Goran Eriksson. However, that glory too was short-lived, as after they defeated Germany at the 2000 Euro, the Germans came for payback.

Germany defeated England 4-1 at the 2010 World Cup last 16 stage.

Southgate’s men clash with Joachim Low's squad tonight in the Euros, after more than a decade, and whoever wins, the game will be a build-up to immense worldwide anticipation.