Those lads in Group A are real go-getters, eh?Wayne Rooney steps up (or down) to be the villain yet again as the Three Lions finally play well but cannot shake the discipline issues that have been their Achilles heel.
A blistering 90 minutes in Manchester saw England draw level after being two-nil down for 30 minutes. England needed at least a point from this match to keep their advancement hopes alive. The death sentence came when Wayne Rooney raised his studs to Per Mertesacker and was rewarded for his "enthusiasm" with a straight red.
England performed admirably, however, not throwing in the towel but pressing on. Even after Miroslav Klose netted the winner, the lads still went for it and nearly drew level in the 90th had it not been for yet another brilliant Rene Adler save.
One has to wonder why the bizarre start to England's campaign, they seemed to carry a flippant attitude towards representing their country. They never seemed to understand the pageantry and privilege that comes with international football. They shirked their responsibility and paid dearly for it. It only looked as if once elimination seemed certain they finally began to give a toss.
If only they stepped up from matchday 1, things may have turned out differently. Opportunity lost, indeed.
Germany wholly deserves to go through, after comprehensively dispatching Spain earlier in the day. The remaining 2 matches in Group A are purely to determine seeding in the knockout rounds. Here's to hoping England decides to play their swan song with pride.
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