FIFA World Cup 2010, Round of 16: Germany vs England - Goal Controversy and Fan Reactions
Three time champions Germany taught 1966 champions England a football lesson, cruising to a 4-1 win that was marred with controversy, reminding fans of the 1966 final played in England.
Germany had taken a two-goal lead, and Matthew Upson had pulled one back for England, when Frank Lampard struck a long-range shot against the bar which rebounded down well behind the line and back into the hands of German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda, guided by linesman and compatriot Pablo Fandino, adjudged that the ball had not crossed the line, although television replays showed it clearly had by at least a metre.
The entire episode drew parallels with the Geoff Hurst goal in the 1966 final against Germany, which the Germans are adamant never crossed the line.
Just like Lampard’s shot, Hurst’s attempt came down off the crossbar, and the hosts ended up winning their first World Cup with the final score line reading 4-2.
After the controversy, it was Germany’s turn to take advantage, as they fired in two more goals in the second half to progress to the quarterfinals of the World Cup with a 4-1 win.
Germany’s rising star Thomas Mueller sealed the win for his team in the second half with two goals with-in three minutes, but disappointed fans in the English camp were left pondering over the referring howler that could have changed their fortunes.
On the other hand, German fans were overjoyed with the win, and some of them claimed it was a fitting revenge for the 1966 final.
"Revenge for 1966, finally it is there, finally, it's super," was what they felt, while another group added, "We are really happy, we were obviously superior. 4-1 just shows the German team is superior. The English are good at talking the talk, but we have the better players.”
Another fan remarked that the English will whine about the incident for many years, and he was very happy about the outcome.
Meanwhile, jubilant fans poured onto the streets all over Germany to celebrate their team's commanding win in the pre-quarter final of the first ever soccer World Cup in Africa.
People adored the performance of their young team and chanted slogans in their favour as they stayed glued to the action throughout the enthralling 90 minutes of the match at Bloemfontein.
The scenes in other parts of the country were repeated in the western city of Cologne, as fans came out honking cars, while screaming in joy and waving the national flag.
According to official figures, a staggering 350,000 people watched the match on screens placed all over the city, with the biggest carnival at a public viewing area known as "Fanmeile."
Meanwhile, at the Glastonbury music festival, football fans swallowed the bitter pill of their team’s exit in the biggest sporting event, saying that the show must go on.
Organisers at the venue put in place two giant screens to cater to 80,000 supporters, which was estimated at roughly half the number of people that had turned up to witness the annual musical carnival.
Many of the fans were not lucky, though, and failed to make it to the jam-packed screening, and were forced to listen to the action on the radio.
They were jumping in joy when England appeared to have scored the equaliser via Lampard in the first half.
Unfortunately, though, their celebrations were cut short by the bizarre decision by the Uruguayan referee.
The final nails in the coffin were the two second-half goals from Thomas Mueller that killed off the clash between the two traditional football rivals, as gloom descended in the English camp, and the entire country.
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