‘No it wasn’t a dream’: How newspapers reacted to England’s historic victory over Germany

The British Press roared along with Three Lions’ fans as England’s football team trumped Germany to bag a place in the quarter final of the Euros.

Front and back page headlines basked in the glory with pictures of Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Gareth Southgate after the 2-0 victory.

Some focused on the moving scenes across the country last night as Englishmen and women took a welcome break from the miserable pandemic to celebrate.

Stunning pictures showed joyous punters necking pints, hugging and laughing together as they cheered on the national team.

Meanwhile other papers looked forward to Saturday’s crunch match in Italy against Ukraine after the side sealed a late win against Sweden to go through.

The Daily Mail: By George, we did it!

How they reported it: The front page of the Mail used an adorable picture of the young Prince George as he attended Wembley.

It also pointed out that the national side had beaten Germany for the first time in 55 years – since Alf Ramsey’s men won to World Cup in 1966.

The front cover also featured a picture of Harry Kane celebrating after scoring the second England goal late in the game.

The same shot was used of the captain and star striker on the back page, with the headline: ‘Dare to dream.’

The Sun: 55 years of hurt never stopped us Raheeming

How they reported it: The Sun’s front page used a photograph of England’s first goalscorer and tournament talisman Raheem Sterling.

The paper used a shot of the 26-year-old ‘boy from Brent’ during his low-key celebration after the first goal of the game.

They also inset an image of Harry Kane cheering, with the note: ‘…and Kane finally scores as 3 Lions thump old enemy.’

Meanwhile the back page opted for a photo of Gareth Southgate celebrating with his fists in the air as the final whistle blew.

They used the headline: ‘No more looking back. Finally redemption for Gareth… 25 years on.’

The Daily Express: No it wasn’t a dream! We really did beat Germany

How they reported it: The newspaper did not use the football as its main story on the page but featured a huge picture of Harry Kane above its splash.

It also inset a stunning photograph of Kate Middleton, Prince William and Prince George in the crowd clapping.

The back page saw a shot of the England players piling on each other as they celebrated Kane’s goal towards the end of the match.

The sports’ page featured the headline: ‘Ghost busters. Joy as Lions end 55-year German jinx.’

The Daily Mirror: Time to dream

How they reported it: The Mirror used a similar picture to the back of the Express for their front page.

It showed Kyle Walker screaming with joy after Harry Kane’s stunning header as well as a grinning Kalvin Phillips.

Meanwhile it inset a picture of Raheem Sterling with one of his children pulling a gesture with his hands.

The back of the newspaper used a very similar shot to the front, with the headline: ‘It’s coming Rome. Southgate makes history against Germany but then warns of ‘danger’ in the last eight.’

The Guardian: England 2 Germany 0. Like emerging from a dream into a strange new light

How they reported it: The Guardian opted for the same picture as the Mirror for its front page of the England celebrations after Harry Kane’s goal.

The article was written by its chief sports writer Barney Roney, who wrote: ‘Well that was unexpected.’

On the back of the newspaper they also used the same as the Mirror, with the headline: ‘It’s coming Rome.’

But they used a full-page picture of England stars celebrating with Raheem Sterling after the wingers goal last night.

The Daily Telegraph: Finally something to cheer about

How they reported it: The front page of the Daily Telegraph used the same shot many of the papers had of Harry Kane celebrating after his header.

Their story was written by the parliamentary sketch writer Michael Deacon, who said: ‘Penalties? Who needs them?’

He was referencing the fear over the last few days of England facing a shoot out against Germany – which ended in heartbreak for Gareth Southgate in 1996.

The back of the newspaper did not have an article on it. Instead they chose a huge picture of the players celebrating Kane’s goal.

It said: ‘History made – and we’re not done yet. Kane’s vow after England end all those years of hurt.’

The Times: Dream result: England end their German nightmare

How they reported it: Like many of the national newspapers, the Times chose the picture of Harry Kane with his arms spread after he scored.

They used the headline ‘England end their German nightmare’ and referenced the last tournament win against the old enemy in 1966.

But on the back page the paper looked towards Saturday’s match against the Ukraine.

They used the headline ‘Now we can believe’ and added: ‘Path to Wembley final opens up for Southgate’s side.

The Daily Star: England DON’T lose to Germany

How they reported it: In a ‘historic souvenir edition’, the Star joked about the expected loss against Germany before the match.

The newspaper used a different picture to the other nationals on its front page, with fans cheering and throwing booze into the air at a pub.

It also inset smaller pictures of England’s goal scoring heros – Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling.

Meanwhile the back of the paper had the same picture of the players celebrating that many others used, with Harry Maguire at the centre.

They used the same headline as others, saying: ‘It’s coming Rome. Dream is alive as Lions set up last-eight date.’

The i: Lionhearts 2 – Germany 0. England vanquish their old rivals in Wembley thriller

How they reported it: The i was another to celebrate the England win on their front page on Wednesday.

Using the same picture of Harry Kane celebrating as many others, the newspaper referenced the quality of the game in their headline.

But like the Sun, the i chose a picture of Gareth Southgate for its back page with the headline: ‘Southgate’s redemption.’

It was joined with a small photograph of the England boss cheering after one of the goals.

Meanwhile the main image on the page was the same one as most of Harry Maguire with his teammates after Harry Kane’s goal.  

Metro: The jinx, it’s all over

How they reported it: Like many others, the freesheet Metro opted for the excellent picture of Harry Kane celebrating.

Under the main headline, the paper wrote: ‘Yes, it really happened! 3 Lions end 55-year curse.’

Also on the front page was a small picture of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George as they cheered on the team at Wembley.

On the back, Metro went with the picture of Kyle Walker wildly celebrating with his teammates after Kane’s goal.

The headline on the back of the paper is: ‘Gareth’s roaring Lions lift a nation.’ 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk