After 55 years of hurt, England finally beat Germany again, with Raheem Sterling – their Euro 2020 hero – and Harry Kane sending them into the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over their great rivals.

Sterling scored both England goals in the group phase and began and finished their slick second-half move to light up a previously tense, stodgy game and send the majority of the 45,000 fans inside Wembley wild with delight.

Thomas Muller had a wonderful chance to level it up but when he shot wide, Kane put England in full control, shrugging off a difficult campaign so far, and a first half in which he was starved of the ball, to head in Jack Grealish’s cross.

Germany had gone seven games unbeaten at Wembley, not losing a competitive fixture at England’s national stadium since the 1966 World Cup final, but Gareth Southgate’s new generation of players made history of their own on Tuesday evening.

It was redemption for the manager, too, with Southgate striking a blow against the side he missed the vital penalty against at Euro 96. His focus will now be on claiming the title, which England came so close to 25 years ago.

Skysports