England 3-3 Germany: Gareth Southgate’s side roar back from Kai Havertz’s late goal in a six-goal thriller at Wembley

England roared back from a 2-0 deficit to lead Germany, only to concede late as the two sides drew in a thrilling 3-3 draw in a remarkable Nations League game at Wembley.

After a first half in which England created the better chances, Germany were awarded a penalty six minutes into the second half after Harry Maguire brought down Jamal Musiala in the penalty area. Match official Danny Makkelie pointed to the spot after seeing the incident on the pitchside monitor following a VAR check.

Ilkay Gündogan shot clean from the penalty spot when he coolly brought the ball into the corner to take the lead.

The visitors then doubled their lead in the 67th minute when Kai Havertz curved a lovely curl shot from outside the box past a helpless Nick Pope into the top corner, leaving England on the brink of yet another defeat.

Just five minutes after Havertz’s goal, Luke Shaw saw his shot crawl past Marc-Andre ter Stegen at the back post as England grabbed a lifeline.

The introduction of Mason Mount and Bukayo Saka brought the Three Lions to life as the pair added some attacking impetus in the final third. Gareth Southgate’s two substitutes combined when Mount England equalized in the 75th minute. The midfielder fired a brilliant first goal from inside the box into the corner of the net after some great work from Saka, who provided the assist.

Late drama then ensued as England were awarded a penalty nine minutes from time. Nico Schlotterbeck caught Jude Bellingham with a late tackle on the ankle in the box. Once again, the penalty was imposed following a VAR review which saw the incident displayed on the pitchside monitor.

Harry Kane confidently stepped forward to bury the resulting penalty in the top left corner of the net to score his 51st international goal, causing Wembley crowds to cheer as they thought an amazing comeback was complete.

But their joy was short-lived. England failed to secure a famous win when Pope deflected a Serge Gnabry shot from long-range straight down Havertz’s run, who with a light tap scored his second goal of the evening as Germany dramatically equalized with three minutes remaining.

England’s relegation from Nations League A3 had been confirmed ahead of the result and they end their season without a win from their six group games. Germany finish second while Italy lead the group after beating Hungary 2-0.

GAME POINT – A greatly improved performance by England

After wasting a famous comeback win two goals down, the England bench will understandably be disappointed as it was a sloppy goalkeeping error that resulted in a famous victory being snatched from them under the Wembley arch.

On the positive side, however, that was a much better performance from England and after all the criticism of the performance against Italy, there seemed to be more creative sparks in the 3-4-3 formation tonight.

Shaw was a standout player for England and he connected well with Raheem Sterling on the left. Jude Bellingham also played in the center of the park past his age.

The main talking point, however, is that as the bonds were removed and the game opened up as the result was pursued, England were able to carve out good opportunities, which will give Southgate plenty to think about as he now has his full attention turning the World Cup in Qatar to.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH – Kai Havertz

The German striker was his nation’s main focus in attack and it proved to be one of those days when he struggled to get into the game most of the time. However, a moment of individual brilliance stunned the Wembley crowd in the 67th minute as he scored for the highlight reel.

His awareness of being in the right place at the right time saw him capitalize on a goalkeeping error from Pope to score the easiest tap-in to equalize for Germany.

Overall, the 23-year-old had two shots on goal, two successful duels and won two header duels.

PLAYER RATINGS

England: Pope 4, Stones 6, Dier 6, Maguire 6, James 7, Bellingham 7, Rice 7, Shaw 8, Foden 6, Sterling 7, Kane 7. Subtitle: Walker 6, Saka 7, Berg 7, Henderson 6.

Germany: Ter Stegen 7, Room 7, Schlotterbeck 5, Column 6, Kehrer 6, Gündogan 7, Kimmich 6, Musiala 8, Hofmann 6, Sane 6, Havertz 9. Subtitle: Werner 7, Gosens 6, Bella-Kotchap 6, Müller 6, Gnabry 6.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

25′ – WHAT A SAVE! – Sterling is denied a goal here! Shaw plays a nice through ball from deep down the right flank that completely knocks out three German players before finding Sterling in the box. He’d do well to look back at his left foot but his eventual shot is saved well by ter Stegen, who veers deep off his line to tip it for a corner!

52′ – Goal! (Penalty by Ilkay Gundogan) – Maguire wedges Musiala in the box and it’s off to VAR for a penalty check. Contact looks clear and the referee looks at the pitchside monitor. He misses the penalty! Gundogan then slides a nice penalty into the bottom right corner as he passes it into the net. Germany have the lead and Maguire will kick himself.

67′ – Goal! (Kai Havertz) – The guests take a 2-0 lead! The ball is lost at the edge of England’s penalty area, Germany breaks out with speed. It’s then played from midfield into left half-space for Werner and the striker opts for an inside cut to his right foot, taking out Havertz just outside the box to his right. The Chelsea forward then brilliantly manages to flex a beautifully curving punch into the top left corner of the net while Wembley fell silent.

72′ – Goal! (Luke Shaw) – Can England make a miraculous comeback? The Three Lions have their first open game goal in over 500 minutes! Bellingham regains the ball in midfield and plays a forward pass to James, which inverts slightly on the right. Saka is on the overlap and then gets the ball from his teammate on the right. The Arsenal man then plays the give-and-go back to James and the full-back whips a delivery towards the back post. Shaw is in a gap and chests the ball down before netting a scuffed shot, though Ter Stegen gets his hands on it! It’s definitely over the limit. Continue to play.

75′ – Goal! (Mason’s Mountain) – Mount makes the impact England was looking for! A good work from Saka down the right sees him play the ball into the box for Mount to score and the Chelsea man flicks a powerful shot past Ter Stegen into the net! The complexion of the game has changed!

82′ – Goal! (Harry Kane penalty) – What a tremendous decision! Schlotterbeck catches Bellingham’s ankle late in the box and after a check on the pitchside monitor the referee points to the penalty spot! Can Kane score here to reveal the Wembley roof? He can. The striker slams his penalty into the top left corner past ter Stegen into the top left corner! What a great penalty and England take the lead! This is his 51st international goal.

87′ – Goal! (Kai Havertz) – Gosens regains the ball on the left flank and plays the ball forward to Gnabry, who shoots a low shot into the far corner from 25 meters, but Pope claps! The rebound lands right at Havertz’s feet, and he has an easy tap-in!

KEY STATISTICS

• England have conceded at least three goals in consecutive home games for the first time since June 1995 (against Sweden and Brazil). Meanwhile, tonight’s draw was the most goalless game at half-time since October 2008 (5-1 against Kazakhstan).
• Kai Havertz is the first player since Oliver Bierhoff in the EURO 1996 final against the Czech Republic to score a brace for the German national team at Wembley Stadium.
• England’s Harry Kane is only the second player in history, after Hungary’s Imre Schlosser (also four games between 1909 and 1912), to score in four consecutive games against Germany.