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Steven Gerrard admitted Frank Lampard's disallowed goal had an effect but made no excuses for the heavy defeat to Germany. "There were big key decisions in the game, at 2-1 we had a goal disallowed. At 2-1 we were hurting them and we were still in the game," he told BBC 5 Live. "I think it (the disallowed goal) had an effect but we cannot use that as an excuse with being beaten 4-1. "That would have been a big goal for us. It's all ifs and buts. Germany are a fantastic team and they deserved their win. "You go away and you have a think about what went wrong and why we didn't progress further in the tournament. "As a team we've made a big mistake today and we've been beaten by a good team. "They were more clinical in front of goal and they made less mistakes than us and we got punished for that today."

Fabio Capello refused to blame his players for England's woeful exit from the FIFA World Cup™ at the hands of Germany. Instead he focussed on the decision to disallow Frank Lampard's equalising 'goal'. England had been outplayed and were 2-1 down when Lampard's effort hit the underside of Manuel Neuer's bar and bounced down a clear yard over the line. Assistant referee Mauricio Espinosa failed to spot it, though, and instead of drawing level at 2-2, England capitulated in the second half to lose 4-1, their worst ever World Cup defeat. "It was one of the most important things in the game," Capello told BBC1. "The goal was very important. We could have played a different style. "We played I think well at 2-1, but after the third goal it was a little bit disappointing. "We played well. Germany is a big team. They played a good game. We made some mistakes when they played the counter-attack. The referee made bigger mistakes. "Little thi

Colin Chong rates the players from the entertaining 4-1 match between Germany and England. Germany Manuel Neuer - 6 The goal posts, a fingertip save and FIFA's refusal to implement goal line technology kept the goal tally for England at one. Arne Friedrich - 7 Cool, calm defending from him in a match which greatly needed some experience. Philipp Lahm - 6 Lahm was relatively free at right back because England's left wing was vacant most of the time, yet he did not make as many runs forward. Per Mertesacker - 8 No ball could go over the head of Mertesacker. He did not give England a way throught at game. A far cry from Mr "highest paid defender." Let's not name names. Jerome Boateng - 7 He did not show any signs of injury even though he was doubtful for this match. Kept the English star Wayne Rooney at bay. Sami Khedira - 7.5 Who needs Ballack when there is a youthful replacement in Khedira? Considering the fact that he is a defensive midfielder, he made many runs f

England crashed out of the World Cup as two goals from Thomas Muller helped Germany reach the quarter-finals with a 4-1 victory. Frank Lampard's 38th-minute shot was clearly over the line when England were only trailing 2-1 but referee Jorge Larrionda allowed play to continue. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski put Germany in command before Matthew Upson reduced the arrears. Then Muller's double strike in the second half ended England's hopes. Germany started well and David James had to save from Mesut Ozil before Klose stunned England by giving Germany the lead with his 50th goal for his country after 20 minutes. Manuel Neuer's goal-kick flew over the head of John Terry, who had advanced too far forward, and straight to Klose who held off the challenge of Upson before sliding the ball wide of James into the corner of the net. Germany doubled their lead after 32 minutes through Podolski. Klose's first time flick from the touchline found Muller and he had time to pick

Germany and England uncorked some champagne football to give us the most exciting match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ so far. Abhishek Mehrotra brings you the key moments from this thrilling game 20' - John Terry misreads a kick from Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to allow Miroslav Klose through on goal. Klose slides in and scores! 32' - Thomas Muller sets up Lukas Podolski inside the area. Podolski hits a bullet of a shot past David James from an acute angle. It's Germany 2-0 England and the English looking out of it! 37' - Wait! A comeback could be on the cards here. Gerrard hits a swerving corner-kick and Upson hits a cushioned header past Neuer. It's Germany 2-1 Englang. 38' - Travesty! Lampard lobs a ball over Neuer and it crashes off the cross-bar and behind the line - but the linesman disagrees! England denied and we have the most controversial moment of the World Cup so far! Fire Sepp Blatter! HT - Half-time and England in the ascendancy. 52' -

Brazil striker Luis Fabiano has revealed a move to Manchester United would be "very attractive". Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has indicated there will be few changes to his playing staff as they seek to regain the title. United chairman David Gill has insisted the £80million transfer fee from the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo is still available for Ferguson to spend on top players - despite the club's debt being around the £520million mark. And Sevilla striker Luis Fabiano, who netted twice for his country in the World Cup defeat of Ivory Coast, would relish a move to Old Trafford - or the San Siro. He said: "I have made it clear I will not be signing a new contract with Sevilla and at 29 I now need to join a club where I can start challenging for the highest honours from the first season. "The choice will come down to Manchester United and AC Milan, That is the sort of team I want to be signing for, one of the true giants of Europe, "I think the

We look back on some of the more memorable meetings between England and Germany down the years. England take on Germany in the last 16 of the 2010 World Cup on Sunday, the latest chapter in a famous footballing rivalry dating back to 1930. Here are some of the best matches between the two European nations. Germany 3-6 England (Berlin, May 14 1938) A match made infamous by the England players' Nazi salute during the pre-match national anthems. Consequently, the thumping England dished out to their hosts over the 90 minutes that followed is often overlooked. Cliff Bastin, Jackie Robinson (2), Frank Broome, Stanley Matthews and Len Goulden were England's scorers that day in what was the final meeting between the two countries prior to the outbreak of war 16 months later. England 4-2 West Germany (London, July 30 1966) The 1966 World Cup final was the fifth meeting between England and West Germany since 1950. Having won the previous four, Sir Alf Ramsey's men were firm favourit

We take a look at three battles on the pitch that could give England or Germany the advantage. JOHN TERRY vs MIROSLAV KLOSE The former captain, imperious in the vital win over Slovenia in the week, will be bracing himself for an aerial duel with Klose. The Germany striker, the tournament top scorer four years ago, headed his 11th World Cup goal in their opening win over Australia. A red card against Serbia saw him miss the win over Ghana which cemented top spot in Group D for Joachim Low's men. Klose will not worry Terry for pace but is a proven finisher ready to pounce on any mistake. The Chelsea man, though, will be relishing the confrontation. GARETH BARRY vs MESUT OZIL Ozil has won comparison to Lionel Messi with his performances so far in South Africa, scoring the winner over Ghana with a glorious left-footed strike from the edge of the area. He has the dribbling ability and range of passing to cause England problems if given the freedom to play his natural game. Barry's q

Diego Maradona has refused to get carried away with the plaudits Argentina have been earning ahead of Sunday's World Cup clash with Mexico. Argentina, along with Holland, were one of only two sides to progress through the group stages with a 100% record after defeating Nigeria, South Korea and Greece in Group B. Their tally of seven goals scored was also equal-best with Portugal, who scored all theirs in one match, while only a couple of teams boast a better defensive record, with Maradona's side only conceding once. It has been an impressive showing from the South American superpowers and their reward for finishing top of Group B is a last-16 clash with Mexico. However, speaking ahead of that match in Johannesburg tomorrow, Maradona was again keen to temper the expectations surrounding his side, even though he did admit they were in "good shape". "I keep on saying the others are the favourites. We're here to fight," he said. "We're in good shap

Jamie Carragher is certain that England team-mate Wayne Rooney will be able to make a significant impact at the World Cup. After a tremendous season at Manchester United many were picking Rooney to be one of the stars of the tournament in South Africa. However, heading into England's Round of 16 clash with Germany, Rooney is still looking to score his first goal of the competition and halt his eight match international scoreless streak, which dates back to last September against Croatia. Despite the United star's struggles in England's group games, Carragher believes that it is just a matter of time before Rooney rounds into top form. "We are just waiting for Wayne to take off," Carragher told Press Association Sport. "If he had been banging all sorts of goals in of course we would be delighted but the way I look at it, if Wayne Rooney has gone eight games without a goal there must be one round the corner." The Liverpool defender has seen firsthand the q

James Milner insists England still have room for improvement but have become more united in the face of adversity ahead of the meeting with Germany. The Aston Villa midfielder set up the winning goal for Jermain Defoe after being recalled to the side for the make-or- break clash with Slovenia in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday. Milner, 24, believes the back-to-the-wall nature of England's position brought the squad closer together. Now they will look to set up a quarter-final meeting with either Argentina or Mexico by overcoming old rivals Germany in Bloemfontein. Milner said "I think the last few days have brought everyone closer together. "When things aren't going well, that's when you have to pull together and when it's make-or-break time. "You pull together as a group and we have done that. "The longer you are together, and the further you get into the tournament, you are going to come together more. "We knew it was a massive night against Slove

Asamoah Gyan kept the African flag flying with a spectacular left-foot strike in extra time to take Ghana through to their first quarter-final. It was the second time in successive World Cups that Ghana had defeated the United States, having effectively dumped them out of the tournament four years ago by beating them in the final group game. Gyan's goal, after 93 minutes, was worthy of winning any game after he outmuscled USA captain Carlos Bocanegra to blast his shot past goalkeeper Tim Howard. It settled a contest that was level at full time after Landon Donovan's second-half penalty cancelled out a fifth-minute strike from Kevin-Prince Boateng. It was just reward for Ghana's talent and power in a dramatic encounter at the Royal Bafokeng stadium and the sole surviving African nation must now fancy their chances of creating an even bigger ripple at this tournament, with Uruguay awaiting them in the last-eight. Former president Bill Clinton had turned up to support the USA

Luis Suarez's double booked Uruguay's place in the quarter-finals as South Korea's adventure came to a heartbreaking end. The Asian side looked to have turned the game around when Bolton midfielder Lee Chung-yong cancelled out Suarez's early strike with 68 minutes gone. But amid a wintry downpour at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, the Ajax striker curled home a brilliant winner 10 minutes from time to confirm Oscar Tabarez's side as the first team to reach the last eight. Uruguay were the better side before the break and deserved their half-time lead, but they had to survive a major fightback as Korea refused to give up on their dream, and Uruguay keeper Fernando Muslera had to make a vital late save from substitute Lee Dong-gook to ensure the tie did not go to extra-time. Tight games are often decided by fine margins, and that point will not have been lost on either coach within eight minutes of kick-off. Had Park Cho-young's fifth-minute free-kick come off the

Sebastian Vettel captured his fourth pole position this season for Sunday's European Grand Prix. From his three previous poles Vettel has failed to win, with his only victory coming from third on the grid in Malaysia. But on a track which was not expected to suit Red Bull Racing, the team secured their fourth lock-out of the front row as Mark Webber will start second. A considerable amount of the talk prior to qualifying had centred on the updates the teams had brought to the table for this race. Red Bull deployed their own version of the f-duct that has been successfully pioneered by McLaren this season. As for Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes, they were all running the blown diffuser for the first time that has aided Red Bull's cause to such a considerable degree. But it was Red Bull who again stepped up to the plate, with Vettel beating his team-mate by 0.075secs with a time of one minute 37.587secs to claim Red Bull's eighth pole in nine races. With McLaren not bringing th

Wimbledon defending champion Roger Federer demolished Arnaud Clement 6-2 6-4 6-2 to ease into the fourth round. For the first time in his career, Federer had dropped three sets in the opening two matches of a Grand Slam, but on Friday he breezed past the oldest man left in the draw. The 28-year-old Swiss, chasing a record-equalling seventh Wimbledon title, was assisted by some indifferent play from Clement. Clement was playing in his 50th Grand Slam tournament and the Frenchman used his experience to claw himself back into contention on court, if not the scoreboard, in the second set. With his forehand repeatedly misfiring, however, he crumbled in the third set and Federer was able to conduct play throughout. The top seed will face Jurgen Melzer for the first time in the fourth round and will feel all the better for this confidence-restoring victory after being pushed so close by Alejandro Falla in his tournament opener. In the blink of an eye against Clement he had raced into a 2-0 le

Andy Roddick got his big serve firing once more to see off Philipp Kohlschreiber and reach the Wimbledon last 16. The American, runner-up in SW19 last year, held serve throughout the contest on Court One to record a 7-5 6-7 (5/7) 6-3 6-3 victory. "He's a dangerous opponent,'' said Roddick aftewards. "I've had a couple of tough matches with him.'' Roddick came into Wimbledon on the back of a disappointing performance at Queen's Club, where he failed to get past the third round, but gave another hint that he is close to re-capturing his best form. "I said after Queen's that, as long as I could get through maybe the first two matches I can start finding my stride and I think I'm doing that,'' he added. Roddick claimed the first set with the only break in the 12th game. Kohlschreiber battled hard and threatened a comeback when he saved three successive set points on his own serve in the second set, which he won in a tie-break, but