Before Saturday’s third-place play-off win, in twenty previous attempts England’s ladies had never beaten their German counterparts. The last time they met, in a friendly at Wembley in November 2014, Germany cantered to a comfortable 3-0 victory. The time before that, the 2009 European Championship final, they trounced England 6-2.
There was nevertheless a quiet confidence in the England camp ahead of Saturday’s match in the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, though from the start it was clear England feared the technical superiority of the Germans and chose not to go toe-to-toe. Instead, England set-up to defend in numbers.