Over the Line

A History of the England v Germany Football Rivalry

The history of the fierce football rivalry between England and Germany is encapsulated in a single moment - Geoff Hurst's extra-time shot off the crossbar in the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final and the decision of an infamous Russian linesman to award a goal. It is a rivalry that now spans more than 90 years since the first official match between the two nations. For the English, a series of high-profile defeats at major tournaments saw Germany become the Angstgegner on the field, as well as an enduring obsession for the national press. For Germans, Wembley still represents the home of football, where the memories of 1966 have been supplanted by numerous successes and the appropriation of the English anthem 'football's coming home'. The rivalry has long crossed the lines of the football field, with the two nations at various moments forced to admire and learn from each other, and with football encounters between England and Germany repeatedly marking important developments in a unique and ever-changing political and cultural relationship.

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Over the Line is a history of Anglo-German relations and football rivalry, uniquely told from both sides. This meticulously researched book covers 123 years of history and explores:

  • The richest and most extensive rivalry in the history of international football

  • The political and cultural backdrop in both England and Germany to the sporting rivalry

  • How the Nazi flag came to fly from the roof of an English stadium in 1935

  • The impact of players such as Stanley Matthews, Bert Trautmann, Bobby Charlton and Franz Beckenbauer on Anglo-German relations in football and beyond

  • The drama of the 1966 World Cup Final and the enduring controversy around England’s third goal scored by Geoff Hurst

  • Why the German national team surpassed and left behind its English counterpart during the 1970s and 80s.

  • How the English tabloid press helped to intensify the rivalry at Euro 96, when football came home

  • England manager Gareth Southgate’s story of redemption, from his penalty miss in 1996 to England’s cathartic win over Germany in 2021

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