Joachim Loew did not hide his joy. Football coaches do not have such experiences every day. “That’s something for the history books, but it has to be assessed right”, the 47-year-old said. It was only a victory in a friendly match, but, that said, a very important one. The German national team had just defeated England 2-1 (2-1). But this happened at a special place: the new Wembley Stadium in front of 86,133 spectators. An earlier German team, under team manager Rudi Voeller, had recorded a 1-0 victory in a qualifying match for the FIFA World Cup™ on October 7, 2000. That was the last match at the old Wembley Stadium, before it was demolished and completely rebuilt at a cost of 1.2 billion Euros over five years.

Germany celebrated a special triumph, to go down in the statistics as the last victor at Old Wembley and the first in an international match at New Wembley. When he walked from the Stadium after the final whistle, Loew’s satisfaction was increased with the knowledge that the win was achieved by a team which had been described as a “desperate selection” by many critics. However, the hosts who were booed by their fans when they left, could not field their best team either due to injuries. “We are hoping that we will be carried forward by this wave of success to the European Championship”, said Oliver Bierhoff, the German team manager.

A fan named Angela Merkel will certainly be a spectator with her team again, at UEFA European Football Championship™ 2008 in Austria and Switzerland. On the evening of August 22, the German Federal Chancellor hurried to the locker rooms of the second-biggest stadium in Europe to heartily congratulate her country’s international squad. In 1996, it had been then Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl who visited the locker rooms after the German 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic in the final of the UEFA European Football Championship™. “It is a great joy that the team have won here”, Angela Merkel said. In the stands she could be seen cheering as lustily as at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ when she turned out a true fan during the 1-0 win over Poland in Dortmund.

In London, she showed concern when Frank Lampard scored to give England the lead in the 9th minute. She recognised that the players with the German Federal Eagle on their chest were facing some major problems. Along with the near 10,000 German supporters on site she was particularly impressed by a special gesture from the hosts. The audience created the sentence “Danke für 2006” (Thank You for 2006) on cardboard placards. The FIFA World Cup™ last year had triggered real enthusiasm in England too. And with the German fans, who outdid the hosts over 90 minutes with their singing and cheering, she was delighted when Kevin Kuranyi equalised (26th), then a spectacular goal from newcomer Christian Pander gave Germany the lead in the 40th minute. The 24-year-old defeated England’s goalkeeper Paul Robinson with a ferocious shot from 25 metres to become the second Schalke player to score.

It is amazing what Loew manages to get from his team, even in the days when he has to make do without many regular players. Altogether eleven players were unavailable. He proved that he is an excellent tactician. For the first time he played a 4-5-1 system with just one striker (Kuranyi) and a broad midfield. His key move proved the shrewdest. For the first time Philipp Lahm did not play an international match in an outside defence role, but in the defensive midfield, where he replaced Torsten Frings in position six. “I did that in the A Youth team and once in the Bundesliga as well”, said the Bayern Munich player after his impressive performance.

Despite a weak David Odonkor the midfield played well, certainly better than the weakened English midfield. The plan worked: a the fast short passing game, mostly initiated by captain Bernd Schneider, was too good for the opposition.

Loew explained that without players Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose his players had just two training sessions to adjust to the completely new line-up. “Unfortunately there was nothing at stake but a lot of prestige, and that’s often worth more than a World Cup qualifier. The guys played fantastically. We were the last to win here– and now we are the first as well”, said a pleased Jens Lehmann, who kept out an equaliser with several top saves. The Arsenal FC goalkeeper was slightly injured before the match, but he was desperate to play at Wembley this once. After the match he found out that he paid dearly for this ambition. He could not play in the Premier League through injury.

The German team may now calmly await the qualifier for the UEFA European Football Championship™ 2008 against Wales in Cardiff on September 8. The situation is more strained in England where team manager Steve McClaren is even more under pressure. The English have a goalkeeping problem, with Robinson’s performances often falling short of international level. Wins in the home matches of qualification Group E against Israel on September 8 and against Russia on September 12 are vital. The 1966 FIFA World Cup™ champions are currently only in fourth position behind Croatia, Israel and Russia – not high enough to participate in the UEFA European Football Championship™ 2008.