It wasn’t a dream! What the papers say on England vs Germany

No need to pinch yourselves, everyone. England’s triumph at Wembley last night was not a dream.

After 55 years of hurt – having not beaten Germany in a major tournament since 1966 – the lionhearts roared to a 2-0 victory over their old foes.

And so the lads will travel to Rome today to gear up for their Euro 2020 quarter final showdown with Ukraine on Saturday.

The triumph, secured by goals from Raheem Sterling and captain Harry Kane, has, of course, dominated the UK front pages this morning.

Here, we take a look at what the papers have had to say about the historic win...

Trust The Sun to dish up a hearty pun for it’s headline – playing on the lyrics to footie anthem ‘Three Lions’ to pay tribute to star player Sterling:

Meanwhile, The Metro harks to England’s dismal record against the Germans, suggesting now, at last, “the jinx is over”. Note that they also manage to tie in that classic old sporting epithet: “They think it’s all over… it is now.”

In case you didn’t know, that derives from none other than the closing moments of the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final – the last time England knocked out Germany to seize a major trophy:

Indeed, last night’s win was a surreal moment for many, heralding the start of an exciting new chapter for the national team.

The Guardian says England’s victory was “like emerging from a dream into a strange new light”:

The Daily Mirror follows a similar theme, saying it is now “time to dream” that England just might go all the way this time:

The Times also latches on to the word, branding the 2-0 scoreline a “dream result” and hailing the end to England’s “German nightmare”:

While The Daily Express reassures readers: “No, it wasn’t a dream!” – Gareth Southgate’s team really did it:

The Star, meanwhile, takes a characteristically playful tone – pointing out that, for once, England didn’t lose against the Germans.

It calls to mind the pithy joke famously made by Gary Lineker: “Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.”

Not anymore:

And while most splashes picture the gleaming face of captain Kane celebrating his first goal of the tournament, The Daily Mail also serves its readers what they want: a photo of a royal.

They spotlight a jubilant young prince applauding from the Wembley stands, under the headline: “By George, we did it!”

The euphoric heir to the throne was in good company, as The Daily Telegraph points out, saying the football was “finally something to cheer about”:

While the i keeps things simple, immortalising that “thrilling” score in ink: “Lionhearts 2 – Germany 0”.

The Independent offers up the bulk of its front page to a photo of Kane as the Three Lions’ “stride past Germany into the quarter-finals”:

And The Financial Times gives a nod to the game’s first goal scorer, hailing the squad’s “Sterling effort” and suggesting they had “recall[ed] the spirit of ‘66.”

Here’s looking at Saturday, boys. We don’t think it’s all over just yet...