Magical night in Munich

World Cup Group Nine Qualifier
Olympic Stadium, Munich
Saturday, 1 September 2001

A night of pure joy for all fans of the Three Lions saw England defeat Germany 5-1 in the Olympic Stadium, Munich.

With Michael Owen grabbing a hat-trick and his Liverpool teammates, Emile Heskey and Steven Gerrard contributing one each, Sven-Goran Eriksson's men stormed to victory in one of the most memorable England games in recent history.

No one could have predicted such a scoreline before the game, and even less so after six minutes when Germany's muscular striker Carsten Jancker latched onto a Neuville knock-down to prod past Seaman from eight yards.

It was an inauspicious start by England who came into the game knowing that only a victory would be enough to keep alive their hopes of automatic qualification for next year's World Cup finals in Korea and Japan.

However, Sven-Goran Eriksson's men are made of sterner mental matter these days and it was only five minutes later when Owen - who was destined to be England's hero on the night - took advantage of Nick Barmby's clever headed flick to draw England level on eleven minutes.

With the confidence surging back into England players, and with Beckham, Scholes and Gerrard working tirelessly in midfield, the Three Lions slowly began to establish themselves as the dominant force on the night.

The timing and manner of England's second was arguably the turning point of the game. On the stroke of half time, England captain David Beckham, who had shrugged off his fitness worries to lead the team out, won a free-kick deep into German territory.

As he swung across a trademark curling free-kick, Rio Ferdinand rose high to divert the cross back to the lurking Steven Gerrard. The Liverpool midfielder, who has still yet to experience anything other than victory in an England shirt, controlled the ball before striking the sweetest of volleys from fully thirty yards. Bending from outside of Kahn's post, the ball arrowed into the side netting, sending England into the break with a crucial advantage.

No one will know what Mr Eriksson said to his players at half time but they came out with such renewed vigour after the interval that they simply blew away their esteemed opposition.

Owen notched his second 47 minutes. Once again Beckham played a major part in the goal, crossing to Heskey, whose cushioned header was seized upon by the predatory Liverpool striker, who cracked home a volley past Kahn at his near post.

By this stage England were rampant and Germany were ravaged, but there was more yet to come.

Perhaps there was something fateful about the moment Owen chose to become the first Englishman to score a hat-trick against Germany since Sir Geoff Hurst. With the scoreboard showing 66 minutes, he raced onto an inch-perfect pass from Steven Gerrard, before calmly curling past Kahn to send England's fans into delirium.

It was Owen's 13^th international goal in only 21 starts. His performance on the night was scintillating, turning Germany's nightmares into reality.

Yet, even while England's fans were still trying to come to terms with the amazing 4-1 scoreline, they were sent into an even higher state of ecstasy as Heskey registered England's fifth on 73 minutes.

A breathtaking exchange of passes between Beckham and Scholes, saw the latter stride into the German half. A look up and a perfectly weighted ball later, Heskey bore down on Kahn's goal before crisply firing under the Bayern goalkeeper.

It was a sumptuous conclusion to an evening that exceeded the expectations of everyone of the 63,000 fans that had filled the famous Olympic Stadium.

Whether it be German despair or English delight, none will be able to forget the emotions that they experienced on the night that England came to Munich and put in a five-star show to turn the Group 9 table on its head.

Germany: Kahn, Rehmer, Worns (Asamoah 46), Nowotny, Linke, Bohme, Hamann, Deisler, Ballack (Klose 67), Jancker,
Neuville (Kehl 78).
Subs Not Used: Lehmann, Bierhoff, Frank Baumann, Ziege.

England: Seaman, Gary Neville, Ferdinand, Campbell, Ashley Cole, Beckham, Gerrard (Hargreaves 78), Scholes (Carragher 83), Barmby (McManaman 65), Owen, Heskey.
Subs Not Used: Southgate, Martyn, Fowler, Andy Cole.
Booked: Heskey.

Attendance: 63,000

Referee: P Collina (Italy)