England and Germany played out a 3-3 draw as they faced each other in their UEFA Nations League clash at Wembley Stadium. All six goals in the match were scored in the second half of the encounter.
Having each lost their previous Nations Leagur match in this international break to Italy and Hungary, England and Germany were looking for an instant response. Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate started by leaving Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori out of the squad for the match.
After a drab first half, the match came alive in the second half as Manchester United captain Harry Maguire gave away possession to German teenager Jamal Musiala before fouling him in the penalty area with a clumsy attempt to win back possession. Ilkay Gundogan stepped up and slotted his penalty into the corner of the net to give the visitors the lead after 52 minutes.
With the Germans in the ascendancy, they quickly doubled their advantage through a fine finish from Chelsea forward Kai Havertz. The 23-year-old received a pass from Timo Werner before taking a touch to set himself up and finding the top corner from outside the box in the 67th minute.
Not willing to go down without a fight, England pulled one back a mere five minutes later as their wing-backs combined to halve the deficit. Reece James set up Luke Shaw to score for the Three Lions, making it 2-1.
Buoyed by the home support, England soon found themselves level as recently crowned Player of the Year Bukayo Saka threaded a ball into the path of Mason Mount, who made no mistake with a first-time effort in the 75th minute.
After drawing level, it was all England and they soon got a chance to take the lead for the first time as the impressive Jude Bellingham was caught by Nico Schlotterbeck in the German penalty area. Captain Harry Kane stepped up and fired his penalty kick into the top corner of the goal to give his side the lead in the 83rd minute.
Despite Kane’s late goal, there was still time for a German response as Nick Pope spilled a shot from Serge Gnabry into the path of Havertz, who thankfully pounced to tap the ball home from inside the six-yard box after 87 minutes.
England were denied a late winner as Saka saw his effort on the break saved by a sprawling Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, ensuring that both sides ended the match level.
Despite their relegation from League A, England fans can take solace in the fighting spirit shown against the Germans. The Three Lions will return to action when they face Iran in their 2022 World Cup opener on November 21st. The Germans will face Oman five days earlier in a pre-tournament friendly match.
