England vs. Germany - Football Match Report - September 26, 2022

England came back from two goals behind to take the lead, before drawing 3-3 with Germany in a thrilling UEFA Nations League group stage finale at Wembley Stadium Monday night.

Ilkay Gundogan's second-half goals and Kai Havertz's goal seemed to be enough to propel Germany to victory. However, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw leveled the score in five minutes. VAR awarded England a penalty. Harry Kane converted it to give England a short lead. Havertz then scored his final goal of the night.

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Both sides were out of Nations League finals spots, with England being relegated to second tier competition and Germany sitting third. However, the match was of vital importance to the Three Lions because it was their final test before the World Cup starts on Nov. 20.

England's Raheem sterling had the best chance to score midway through the first period. However, after a clever cut-back to get a better look at goal, his timid effort was beaten by Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

Gareth Southgate's side looked dangerous on the counter, but Sterling fired right at Ter Stegen after his full-field run to grab Kane's ball in the area.

Gundogan scored Germany's second goal from the penalty spot in the second period after Harry Maguire fouled Jamal Musiala. They were two up just 15 minutes later when Havertz shot a perfect shot from far away that left Nick Pope with no chance.

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As the clock ticked past 70 minutes, what seemed impossible quickly became a reality. Shaw and substitute Mount struck in rapid succession to bring the match back to level terms and bring the home crowd back to life.

Nico Schlotterbeck's stamping on Jude Bellingham’s ankle earned him an yellow card. England had the chance to take the lead from that spot. Kane did this with ease to the delight of the Wembley faithful.

Pope made a mistake when he misdirected a long-range shot in the direction of Havertz. He side-footed into the back of net to end the game 3-3.

Bukayo Saka scored the goal that was supposed to win the match for England in second-half stoppage. However, Ter Stegen's shot missed the post.

England will face Iran and the United States in Group B in Qatar. Hansi Flick's Germany side, on the other hand, will face Japan, Spain, and Costa Rica in group E.

Flick stated that he was disappointed to see a lead of 2-0 turn into a deficit of 3-2 in 13 minutes. Instead, he focused on his team's late recovery.

Flick stated that "We were quite stable at the 2-0 mark, but England brought in a few substitutes that made them more offensively-minded."

"But we must also look at it positively. I told my players that they were courageous and never gave up, so it was great to see them come back."

Southgate's team finished last in the group with three points less than Germany, Hungary, and Italy. Italy was the top of the group with 11 points, which allowed them to reach the Nations League final four.

It has been more than 100 years since England won six of their six competitive games without a win, but this stirring comeback against Germany changed the narrative.

Both sides needed a pre World Cup tonic after their poor Nations League campaigns. England lost 1-0 to Italy last Friday. Germany lost the same score at home to Hungary.

Southgate was able to do no wrong when England was riding high last year during the Euro 2020 finals.

The mood has turned sour because of a woeful shortage of goals. Kane's last-minute penalty to Germany was their only goal in their five previous Nations League games.