Raheem Sterling struck in the 75th minute to give England the lead in the crucial round of 16 encounter against Germany at the Wembley stadium in London as the hosts advanced into the quarterfinals of the European Championships.

England captain Harry Kane made it 2-0 in the 86th minute as he headed home a cross to put it beyond the former European champions.

The match which was evenly poised with both teams attacking each other's post&nbsp;at regular intervals lacked&nbsp;inspiration in the first half as both teams were left goalless.

England's forward packed with attacking options remained steadfast against the Germans who lacked imagination at the front.

German coach Joachim Loew's side looked out of depth as Gareth&nbsp;Southgate's Three Lions dominated the last crucial 20 minutes as both sides looked to advance into the next stage.

England has never won the European Championship with Germany having won the Championships three times earlier the most recent in 1996.

Sterling now has three goals in the tournament with Kane bagging his first goal of the competition. England's defence has become the favourite of the tournament with the Lions yet to concede a goal in the tournament.

The England game was Joachim Loew's last as German manager.

England will now face either Sweden or Ukraine in the last eight of Euro 2020.

(With inputs from Agencies) 
&nbsp;

Raheem Sterling struck in the 75th minute to give England the lead in the crucial round of 16 encounter against Germany at the Wembley stadium in London as the hosts advanced into the quarterfinals of the European Championships.

Raheem Sterling struck in the 75th minute to give England the lead in the crucial round of 16 encounter against Germany at the Wembley stadium in London as the hosts advanced into the quarterfinals of the European Championships. England captain Harry Kane made it 2-0 in the 86th minute as he headed home a cross to put it beyond the former European champions. The match which was evenly poised with both teams attacking each other's post at regular intervals lacked inspiration in the first half as both teams were left goalless. England's forward packed with attacking options remained steadfast against the Germans who lacked imagination at the front. German coach Joachim Loew's side looked out of depth as Gareth Southgate's Three Lions dominated the last crucial 20 minutes as both sides looked to advance into the next stage. England has never won the European Championship with Germany having won the Championships three times earlier the most recent in 1996. Sterling now has three goals in the tournament with Kane bagging his first goal of the competition. England's defence has become the favourite of the tournament with the Lions yet to concede a goal in the tournament. The England game was Joachim Loew's last as German manager. England will now face either Sweden or Ukraine in the last eight of Euro 2020. (With inputs from Agencies)

Euro 2020: Sterling, Kane vanquish Germany as England reach quarterfinals

As Russia braces for the European Championship matches, virus cases continued to surge as authorities announced Ussuriysk and Vladivostok to have additional beds for coronavirus patients.

Saint Petersburg will be hosting big matches during the Euro 2020 imposed new restrictions ahead of the Russia vs Finland match on Wednesday with COVID-19 cases increasing.

Watch:

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The city had reported 865 fresh coronavirus cases as it sets out to host seven high profile matches during the month-long European Championships including the quarter-final.

Saint Petersburg's Gazprom Arena is set to be filled with 50 per cent capacity on Wednesday&nbsp;as authorities announced that no food will be served inside the stadium and cinemas theatres ordered to operate at 50 per cent capacity only in the city.

Russia has struggled to vaccinate citizens despite registering the Sputnik V vaccine in August last year.&nbsp;According to reports, Russia has vaccinated just 12 per cent of the population with the first dose of vaccine numbering just 18 million.

On Monday, the country had reported 13,721 new coronavirus cases as capital Moscow declared a four-day public holiday to contain the virus.

The country reported 371 deaths due to the virus in the last 24 hours on Monday worrying health officials. Moscow has become the epicentre of the virus with over 7,700 virus cases reported on Sunday.

Russia has recorded five million coronavirus cases and over 126,800 fatalities since the virus first took hold in the country last year.

(With inputs from Agencies)

As Russia braces for the European Championship matches, virus cases continued to surge as authorities announced Ussuriysk and Vladivostok to have additional beds for coronavirus patients.

As Russia braces for the European Championship matches, virus cases continued to surge as authorities announced Ussuriysk and Vladivostok to have additional beds for coronavirus patients. Saint Petersburg will be hosting big matches during the Euro 2020 imposed new restrictions ahead of the Russia vs Finland match on Wednesday with COVID-19 cases increasing. Watch: The city had reported 865 fresh coronavirus cases as it sets out to host seven high profile matches during the month-long European Championships including the quarter-final. Saint Petersburg's Gazprom Arena is set to be filled with 50 per cent capacity on Wednesday as authorities announced that no food will be served inside the stadium and cinemas theatres ordered to operate at 50 per cent capacity only in the city. Russia has struggled to vaccinate citizens despite registering the Sputnik V vaccine in August last year. According to reports, Russia has vaccinated just 12 per cent of the population with the first dose of vaccine numbering just 18 million. On Monday, the country had reported 13,721 new coronavirus cases as capital Moscow declared a four-day public holiday to contain the virus. The country reported 371 deaths due to the virus in the last 24 hours on Monday worrying health officials. Moscow has become the epicentre of the virus with over 7,700 virus cases reported on Sunday. Russia has recorded five million coronavirus cases and over 126,800 fatalities since the virus first took hold in the country last year. (With inputs from Agencies)

Russian regions announce fresh COVID-19 curbs amid surge in cases

England striker Danny Welbeck says he has emerged mentally stronger after a knee injury ruled him out of the 2016 European Championships and the 27-year-old is keen to make an impact in next month's World Cup in Russia.

Welbeck was sidelined for eight months after undergoing surgery for the knee problem but the Arsenal forward has since forced his way back into England manager Gareth Southgate's plans.

"Missing out on the last tournament with injury was frustrating for me," Welbeck told British media.

"If you get a big injury, it is not easy at all to deal with it. It's a lonely period when you're not out on the pitch helping your teammates and doing what you love doing.

"You can develop mentally when you're away from the pitch. You can take all that frustration, pain and hurt from not playing and try and use that as a way of helping you and reminding you of what you are missing out on."

Welbeck has 15 international goals in 37 matches, the most for any player in the squad bound for Russia and three more than first choice striker Harry Kane, and will look to add to his tally when England take on Nigeria in a friendly on Saturday.

"I haven't pointed that out to the manager, he knows all the ins and outs but that is something I want to build on," Welbeck added ahead of the match at Wembley. "I have had a lot of success on the international stage and I want that to continue."

England open their World Cup campaign with a Group G encounter against Tunisia in Volgograd on June 18, before taking on Panama in Nizhny Novgorod on June 24 and finally Belgium in Kaliningrad four days later.

Welbeck was sidelined for eight months after undergoing surgery for the knee problem but the Arsenal forward has since forced his way back into England manager Gareth Southgate's plans

England striker Danny Welbeck says he has emerged mentally stronger after a knee injury ruled him out of the 2016 European Championships and the 27-year-old is keen to make an impact in next month's World Cup in Russia. Welbeck was sidelined for eight months after undergoing surgery for the knee problem but the Arsenal forward has since forced his way back into England manager Gareth Southgate's plans. "Missing out on the last tournament with injury was frustrating for me," Welbeck told British media. "If you get a big injury, it is not easy at all to deal with it. It's a lonely period when you're not out on the pitch helping your teammates and doing what you love doing. "You can develop mentally when you're away from the pitch. You can take all that frustration, pain and hurt from not playing and try and use that as a way of helping you and reminding you of what you are missing out on." Welbeck has 15 international goals in 37 matches, the most for any player in the squad bound for Russia and three more than first choice striker Harry Kane, and will look to add to his tally when England take on Nigeria in a friendly on Saturday. "I haven't pointed that out to the manager, he knows all the ins and outs but that is something I want to build on," Welbeck added ahead of the match at Wembley. "I have had a lot of success on the international stage and I want that to continue." England open their World Cup campaign with a Group G encounter against Tunisia in Volgograd on June 18, before taking on Panama in Nizhny Novgorod on June 24 and finally Belgium in Kaliningrad four days later.

FIFA World Cup: Danny Welbeck ready to fire for England

England manager Roy Hodgson has said he is prepared to remain in the job after Euro 2016 but will not be &#39;begging&#39; for a new deal. 
 
Hodgson&#39;s contract expires after the tournament in France and Football Association (FA) chairman Greg Dyke indicated last week that the 68-year-old may have to lead the team to the semi-finals to guarantee staying on. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m not begging for the job. I am prepared to carry on,&quot; Hodgson told British media ahead of Monday&#39;s last-16 match against Iceland in Nice. &quot;It is different to wanting it. I&#39;m prepared to carry on if the FA want me to. If they don&#39;t want me to, then my contract will have run out and that is how it will be. I believe in the team I am working with and believe the team is showing such potential that it will go on to do good things and if the FA want me to continue with me looking after them, I will be happy to do so.&quot; 
 
England reached the last 16 after finishing second to Wales, who have already reached the quarter-finals, in Group B. 
 
They beat Wales 2-1 but draws against Russia and Slovakia left them in what turned out to be a much tougher half of the draw. They have scored three goals from their three games to date. 
 
If they beat Iceland, their next opponents will be either hosts France or Ireland. 
 
World champions Germany are also in that half of the draw, along with holders Spain and Italy. 
 
Hodgson&#39;s decision to make six changes for the final group game against Slovakia, which ended goalless, drew some criticism although FA chief executive Martin Glenn denied that he and Dyke had any problems with Hodgson&#39;s decisions. 
 
&quot;He has our full support, he has been a great manager and I think we are going to do great things in this tournament,&quot; said Glenn. 
 
Asked about the criticism of his tactics, Hodgson indicated that it came from the media rather than from within the England hierarchy. 
 
&quot;The FA will make the decision on what they want to do,&quot; he said. &quot;One hopes they will do it on their thinking and their observations and judgement and analysis on what is happening with the national team and not because some journalist has written something contrary to that.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

England reached the last 16 after finishing second to Wales, who have already reached the quarter-finals, in Group B

England manager Roy Hodgson has said he is prepared to remain in the job after Euro 2016 but will not be 'begging' for a new deal. Hodgson's contract expires after the tournament in France and Football Association (FA) chairman Greg Dyke indicated last week that the 68-year-old may have to lead the team to the semi-finals to guarantee staying on. "I'm not begging for the job. I am prepared to carry on," Hodgson told British media ahead of Monday's last-16 match against Iceland in Nice. "It is different to wanting it. I'm prepared to carry on if the FA want me to. If they don't want me to, then my contract will have run out and that is how it will be. I believe in the team I am working with and believe the team is showing such potential that it will go on to do good things and if the FA want me to continue with me looking after them, I will be happy to do so." England reached the last 16 after finishing second to Wales, who have already reached the quarter-finals, in Group B. They beat Wales 2-1 but draws against Russia and Slovakia left them in what turned out to be a much tougher half of the draw. They have scored three goals from their three games to date. If they beat Iceland, their next opponents will be either hosts France or Ireland. World champions Germany are also in that half of the draw, along with holders Spain and Italy. Hodgson's decision to make six changes for the final group game against Slovakia, which ended goalless, drew some criticism although FA chief executive Martin Glenn denied that he and Dyke had any problems with Hodgson's decisions. "He has our full support, he has been a great manager and I think we are going to do great things in this tournament," said Glenn. Asked about the criticism of his tactics, Hodgson indicated that it came from the media rather than from within the England hierarchy. "The FA will make the decision on what they want to do," he said. "One hopes they will do it on their thinking and their observations and judgement and analysis on what is happening with the national team and not because some journalist has written something contrary to that." (Reuters)

Euro 2016: Hodgson happy to continue, but will not 'beg' to stay

A week after England and Russia supporters clashed, and while flare-throwing and fighting have marred games elsewhere, fans of Iceland say they prefer hugs to hooliganism at Euro 2016. 
 
Having the time of their lives, Icelanders told AFP in Marseille they have come to their first ever European Championships to have fun and feel part of Europe. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m not sure life can get any better, it&#39;s historic, great to be here,&quot; Louise Ragnarsdottir told AFP on the seafront of the southern city.&nbsp;&quot;All my life I watched the tournaments on TV, now we are part of Europe&#39;s party!&quot; said the 28-year-old accountant from Reykjavik. 
 
Some 27,000 Iceland fans have travelled to France, almost 10 per cent of the Nordic island&#39;s 330,000-strong population. No smaller country has ever featured at a Euro finals. 
 
&quot;We live on a faraway island, just to go abroad at all is an experience,&quot; said Ragnarsdottir. 
 
After the Group F tie with Hungary on Saturday pockets of Iceland fans gathered in Marseille&#39;s Vieux Port district to chant &quot;Boom-Boom-Hoooo!&quot;, leaping in unison on the &quot;Hoooo!&quot;. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s our Viking song, synchronised and terrifying,&quot; laughed Arni Gardar, an IT consultant from Reykjavik. 
 
&quot;But we don&#39;t mean to be scary, we are good Vikings not marauders, actually very nice, we come in peace,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;Iceland is N-Iceland!&quot; cried another fan, Jonina Unnur Gunnarsdottir. 
 
&nbsp;&#39;Best fans yet&#39; 
 
&quot;They are the best fans we have seen yet,&quot; said Karim, a cafe owner watching the revelry on the Quai des Belges. &quot;It was different last week,&quot; he recalled. 
 
Nearly a week ago England and Russia fans conducted pitched battles in the worst violence at a football tournament since the 1998 World Cup, prompting police to respond with tear gas and baton charges. 
 
For fans of the Nordic minnows the Euro 2016 violence has been an eye-opening experience. 
 
&quot;We are a peaceful nation, we have no army, no guns, we&#39;re just not into fighting,&quot; Atli Gudmundsson told AFP. &quot;At home families go to football, no-one dreams of ever causing trouble.&quot; 
 
The 29-year-old attended the Croatia-Czech Republic tie in Saint Etienne on Friday where Croatian fans fought among themselves and lit flares, forcing a temporary stoppage in play. 
 
&quot;Torches on the pitch, fighting in the stands, that kind of thing is new to us, it was quite shocking to see,&quot; he said. 
 
&#39;Share the love&#39;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We just want to hug people, I mean come on, just share the love,&quot; said his friend Daniel Ma&#39;sson. 
 
Hungary brought some 20,000 fans to the game in Marseille. Some scuffled with security guards before the game and threw flares on the pitch. 
 
All the tension was on the other side of the pitch,&quot; Elisabet Thorisdottir told AFP. 
 
&quot;The Hungarians were a little bit aggressive, but very passionate. We had no problem with them or anyone else.&quot; 
 
Around 10,000 Iceland fans were also in the Stade Velodrome and the two sets of fans produced a raucous atmosphere, the Scandinavians holding their own with renditions of &quot;Boom-Boom-Hoooo&quot;. 
 
And leading 1-0 with two minutes to go Iceland were on the brink of a fairytale win to follow the 1-1 draw against Cristiano Ronaldo&#39;s Portugal on their European Championships debut. 
 
Then two minutes from the end an own goal by Birkir Savarsson crushed their dreams. 
 
&quot;The Portugal 1-1 draw was like a win, but the Hungary 1-1 felt like a defeat,&quot; said Iceland fan Bjarni Mak Johanntsson. 
 
But for a country that just four years ago was ranked 131st in the world, their fans will enjoy the rest of Euro 2016 no matter whatever happens in the final group game against Austria in the Stade de France on Wednesday. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re the small guys, always overlooked,&quot; said Hdortur Bjarnason. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s just good to be noticed for once. Europe, we will be back!&quot; he said, punching the air. 
(AFP)

Almost 10% of all Icelanders have come to their first-ever European Championships to have fun

A week after England and Russia supporters clashed, and while flare-throwing and fighting have marred games elsewhere, fans of Iceland say they prefer hugs to hooliganism at Euro 2016. Having the time of their lives, Icelanders told AFP in Marseille they have come to their first ever European Championships to have fun and feel part of Europe. "I'm not sure life can get any better, it's historic, great to be here," Louise Ragnarsdottir told AFP on the seafront of the southern city. "All my life I watched the tournaments on TV, now we are part of Europe's party!" said the 28-year-old accountant from Reykjavik. Some 27,000 Iceland fans have travelled to France, almost 10 per cent of the Nordic island's 330,000-strong population. No smaller country has ever featured at a Euro finals. "We live on a faraway island, just to go abroad at all is an experience," said Ragnarsdottir. After the Group F tie with Hungary on Saturday pockets of Iceland fans gathered in Marseille's Vieux Port district to chant "Boom-Boom-Hoooo!", leaping in unison on the "Hoooo!". "It's our Viking song, synchronised and terrifying," laughed Arni Gardar, an IT consultant from Reykjavik. "But we don't mean to be scary, we are good Vikings not marauders, actually very nice, we come in peace," he said. "Iceland is N-Iceland!" cried another fan, Jonina Unnur Gunnarsdottir. 'Best fans yet' "They are the best fans we have seen yet," said Karim, a cafe owner watching the revelry on the Quai des Belges. "It was different last week," he recalled. Nearly a week ago England and Russia fans conducted pitched battles in the worst violence at a football tournament since the 1998 World Cup, prompting police to respond with tear gas and baton charges. For fans of the Nordic minnows the Euro 2016 violence has been an eye-opening experience. "We are a peaceful nation, we have no army, no guns, we're just not into fighting," Atli Gudmundsson told AFP. "At home families go to football, no-one dreams of ever causing trouble." The 29-year-old attended the Croatia-Czech Republic tie in Saint Etienne on Friday where Croatian fans fought among themselves and lit flares, forcing a temporary stoppage in play. "Torches on the pitch, fighting in the stands, that kind of thing is new to us, it was quite shocking to see," he said. 'Share the love' "We just want to hug people, I mean come on, just share the love," said his friend Daniel Ma'sson. Hungary brought some 20,000 fans to the game in Marseille. Some scuffled with security guards before the game and threw flares on the pitch. All the tension was on the other side of the pitch," Elisabet Thorisdottir told AFP. "The Hungarians were a little bit aggressive, but very passionate. We had no problem with them or anyone else." Around 10,000 Iceland fans were also in the Stade Velodrome and the two sets of fans produced a raucous atmosphere, the Scandinavians holding their own with renditions of "Boom-Boom-Hoooo". And leading 1-0 with two minutes to go Iceland were on the brink of a fairytale win to follow the 1-1 draw against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal on their European Championships debut. Then two minutes from the end an own goal by Birkir Savarsson crushed their dreams. "The Portugal 1-1 draw was like a win, but the Hungary 1-1 felt like a defeat," said Iceland fan Bjarni Mak Johanntsson. But for a country that just four years ago was ranked 131st in the world, their fans will enjoy the rest of Euro 2016 no matter whatever happens in the final group game against Austria in the Stade de France on Wednesday. "We're the small guys, always overlooked," said Hdortur Bjarnason. "It's just good to be noticed for once. Europe, we will be back!" he said, punching the air. (AFP)

'Nice' Iceland fans prefer hugs to hooliganism

Without the star names that have graced Italy sides in the past, coach Antonio Conte says the secret to their success at Euro 2016 has been to shun the mentality of a national team and behave like a club. 
 
Italy came into the European Championship with an ageing squad shorn of standout talents and with few tipping them for success. 
 
Their tournament performances, however, have confounded expectations and a 2-0 victory over Spain on Monday propelled them into the quarter-finals, where they will face Germany in Bordeaux on Saturday. 
 
Recent Italy teams went into major tournaments with individual talents such as Mario Balotelli or Andrea Pirlo, who attracted enormous amounts of media attention. 
 
For Conte, who has a notorious emphasis on the team ethic and industry over individuality, the way to achieve success is to mould the national team around the model of a club, where a well-drilled tactical system can stifle even the best opponents. 
 
&quot;I&#39;ve always said, right from the start of my work here with the national team, that the only road we can follow if we want a bit of success is to be like a club, to be like a team that play together every week - we cannot allow ourselves to be a selection,&quot; Conte told reporters following the victory over Spain at the Stade de France. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m happy above all for the players. It&#39;s more than a month that we&#39;ve been working tactically, technically, mentally and we&#39;ve been trying to surprise everybody and I think we&#39;ve succeeded to some extent.&quot; 
 
Spain were comprehensively snuffed out, barely posing a threat until the closing stages of the game. 
 
Conte feels next opponents Germany, however, could pose a greater challenge. 
 
The world champions cruised through the group stage and thumped Slovakia 3-0 to reach the last eight. 
 
&quot;We now face the best side at the European Championship next Saturday,&quot; Conte said. &quot;It&#39;s going to be very, very hard in all aspects. We&#39;ve got to do well to recover and prepare for Germany the best way we can. We are without Thiago Motta (suspended) and that&#39;s a big blow, also because (Daniele) De Rossi took a knock to his hip. But we know that in adversity, we give that little bit more.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

The team has been winning games despite fielding an ageing squad lacking any big-name talent

Without the star names that have graced Italy sides in the past, coach Antonio Conte says the secret to their success at Euro 2016 has been to shun the mentality of a national team and behave like a club. Italy came into the European Championship with an ageing squad shorn of standout talents and with few tipping them for success. Their tournament performances, however, have confounded expectations and a 2-0 victory over Spain on Monday propelled them into the quarter-finals, where they will face Germany in Bordeaux on Saturday. Recent Italy teams went into major tournaments with individual talents such as Mario Balotelli or Andrea Pirlo, who attracted enormous amounts of media attention. For Conte, who has a notorious emphasis on the team ethic and industry over individuality, the way to achieve success is to mould the national team around the model of a club, where a well-drilled tactical system can stifle even the best opponents. "I've always said, right from the start of my work here with the national team, that the only road we can follow if we want a bit of success is to be like a club, to be like a team that play together every week - we cannot allow ourselves to be a selection," Conte told reporters following the victory over Spain at the Stade de France. "I'm happy above all for the players. It's more than a month that we've been working tactically, technically, mentally and we've been trying to surprise everybody and I think we've succeeded to some extent." Spain were comprehensively snuffed out, barely posing a threat until the closing stages of the game. Conte feels next opponents Germany, however, could pose a greater challenge. The world champions cruised through the group stage and thumped Slovakia 3-0 to reach the last eight. "We now face the best side at the European Championship next Saturday," Conte said. "It's going to be very, very hard in all aspects. We've got to do well to recover and prepare for Germany the best way we can. We are without Thiago Motta (suspended) and that's a big blow, also because (Daniele) De Rossi took a knock to his hip. But we know that in adversity, we give that little bit more." (Reuters)

Italy's Coach Conte says club mentality crucial to success