Stuart Pearce and England enter the Euro 21 final for the first time but it was an entirely forgettable day. For goalie Scott Loach, it was a nightmare without end.
Gonzalo Castro, Mesut Ozil, and two goals by Sandro Wagner shut out England completely.
Joe Hart's presence might have limited the damage and given England a fighting chance. But he was out with suspension as were strikers Frazier Campbell and Gabby Agbanlahor which depleted their striker corps drastically. Stuart Pearce employed Walcott as the lone striker.
But the way the Germans played especially Ozil with his penetrating passes,any result other than a loss would have been highly unlikely. In contrast, James Milner was nowhere as efficient with his passes and Walcott was omnipresent without being effective. He continued his wayward shooting when he fired wide of an early chance. Whatever cohesion England possessed fell apart after Ozil's 35 yard free kick caught Loach out of position. Germany took advantage of the wide open spaces as England committed more players up front to get on the scoreboard. This set up Ozil and Wagner's subsequent brace.
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