Port Elizabeth - The English contingent of the crowd at the FIFA Fan Fest in Port Elizabeth watched in disbelief as their team was 'pom'elled out of the World Cup by a slicker-looking German outfit on Sunday evening.
"Four-one is a real hiding," Ansgar Bitz, 31, from Mainz in Germany summed up the match afterwards.
The doctoral student said the Germans were lucky not to concede "that goal". "That was the crucial moment. But, to be fair, we were already in control at that stage."
He said he did not feel too bad about the incident. "I see it as revenge for the '66 World Cup. These things always happen in two's.
"The first half was theirs and the second should've been ours," said a clearly disappointed Steven Hardy, 23, who hails from Chesterfield in England.
"Our defence was poor. They got us on the counter-attack every time. I have to give Germany their due; they were just too quick for us on the counter today."
He however pointed out that the disallowed goal could have been the turning point of the match. "The score would've been two-all, which would've allowed us to play a more conservative style of football.
"As it was, we were forced to play an attacking game, which left us vulnerable at the back on the counter-attack."
Bitz said he believed Argentina would be too strong for Mexico in their match-up later on Sunday evening. "I think we (Germany) will play Argentina in the quarterfinals and that will be tough.
"If we can get through that one, we'll probably make it all the way to the final. But it's the World Cup, so anything can happen."
