England v Germany (2000) was the final match to be played at the

old Wembley Stadium The original Wembley Stadium (; originally known as the Empire Stadium) was a stadium in Wembley, London, best known for hosting important football matches. It stood on the same site now occupied by its successor. Wembley hosted the FA Cup f ...

. The match was a 2002 World Cup qualifying game between England and Germany. Germany won the game 1–0, with the goal scored by Dietmar Hamann. England manager

Kevin Keegan Joseph Kevin Keegan (born 14 February 1951) is an English former footballer and manager. A forward, he played for several professional clubs from 1968 to 1984. Having begun his career at Scunthorpe United, he moved to Liverpool in 1971 and ...

resigned from his position after this game. The return fixture in Munich, Germany, resulted in a 5–1 victory to England with Swedish

Sven-Göran Eriksson Sven-Göran Eriksson (; born 5 February 1948) is a Swedish football manager and former player. After an unassuming playing career as a right-back, Eriksson went on to experience major success in club management between 1977 and 2001, winning 18 ...

as new England manager.

Background

The game took place on 7 October 2000. The demolition of Wembley Stadium had already been announced. Prior to the game, England's team selection was leaked to the media, leading to criticism from Keegan.

Match

Team selection

Both England and Germany fielded

4–4–2 formation In association football, the formation of a team refers to the position players take in relation to each other on a pitch. As association football is a fluid and fast-moving game, a player's position (with the exception of the goalkeeper) in a ...

s. England centre-back Gareth Southgate was unusually played in a defensive midfield position ahead of Paul Ince and Dennis Wise.

Summary

The only goal of the game was scored by Dietmar Hamann after fourteen minutes. It came from a free kick awarded for a foul on Michael Ballack by

Paul Scholes Paul Scholes (born 16 November 1974) is an English football coach, pundit, former player, and co-owner of Salford City. He spent his entire professional playing career with Manchester United, for whom he scored over 150 goals in more than 700 ...

30 yards from goal. German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn saved shots from

Andy Cole Andrew Alexander Cole (born 15 October 1971) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. His professional career lasted from 1988 to 2008, and is mostly remembered for his time with Manchester United, who paid a Briti ...

and England captain Tony Adams in the first half and a

David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending fr ...

free kick in the second. England's David Seaman, who some had blamed for the first goal, saved a shot by Mehmet Scholl on 52 minutes.

Details

Aftermath

Immediately after the game, Keegan resigned as manager of England. England under-21 coach Howard Wilkinson was appointed as caretaker manager by the Football Association. He was succeeded by Sven-Goran Eriksson, who led England to a 5–1 victory over Germany in the return fixture. Dietmar Hamann's goal was the last to be scored at the stadium. Hamann later stated in an interview that he regretted the fact that Keegan had resigned after the game, as he had supported Hamburger SV during Keegan's time at the club. In May 2005, a poll to name a footbridge at the new Wembley Stadium saw the name ''Dietmar Hamann Bridge'' receive the most nominations. It was instead given the name White Horse Bridge.

References

External links

2007 BBC Sport interview with Dietmar Hamann about the game
{{Germany national football team matches

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

England v Germany Eng Ger Events at Wembley Stadium 2000 sports events in London Eng Ger England–Germany football rivalry England v Germany 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)