I've bided my time a bit, but I think you deserve a reply Wolfgang. I anticipated Saturday's game with some trepidation. The statistics you gave were impeccable of course, but since the first time I watched England play Germany (on black and white TV as a small boy in the sixties) I had not seen England win a game of any consequence. There was a win in a friendly at Wembely in 1974, a win in the eighties ('83 I think, when some disinterested and jet lagged Germans had hardly emerged from a plane in South America) and the dreadful game in Charleroi when (untypically) the German forwards missed everything except the bus home. In short, an England win seemed the least likely outcome. (Hindsight is easy). I have no complaints about Germany's semi final wins against England. Penalties are never a satisfying way to win, but I felt that justice was done on both occasions. I live in Cologne. My girlfriend and wonderful children are German and my German friends responded with the sportsmanship shown by you Wolfgang. If you are in Cologne for the next one, you are more than welcome to join me and Gerd (my best mate for over twenty years) for a few Kölsch and a good long chat. Excuse me for being on cloud nine at the moment. It's just that this is about as good as it gets for us Brits! Germany still has a good side and one bad evening will not bury them. I hate all that jingoistic crap that our press turns out. I will be cheering them on against Finland.