After months of hype England and Germany finally dawned on Wembley Stadium for one of the most anticipated games post-World Cup.

Wembley was sold out a month before the fixture itself, with over 80,000 fans expected to walk down Wembley Way to witness history. 

With just one win in their last six games, Neville’s side was looking to put out a statement performance against a strong German side.

Lyon's Marozsán at the heart of their midfield, the away side wasted no time in making an impact – showing no signs of being intimidated by the magnitude of the moment.

Popp – who was originally a doubt due to injury – saw her early thumping effort tipped onto the bar by Earps.

Just minutes later, Popp made no mistake in latching onto a lofted ball into the box and heading beyond Earps in goal.

In a game of poor officiating, Germany were extremely lucky not to go down to 10 players following Doorsoun’s late challenge on Beth Mead that was beyond dangerous.

Germany controlled the majority of the first half, but gradually England found their feet and came into their own with Mead winning a penalty after half an hour.

The misery of World Cup penalties misses for England continued as Parris’ effort was saved by the feet of Frohms – redeeming her earlier foul that gave them the penalty, to begin with.

Despite failing to convert, the penalty allowed England to spur on and their hard work paid off just before half time through none other than Ellen White on her return from injury.

The one-touch finish gave Frohms no chance in goal, but Walsh’s assist was simply sublime and arguably her best moment of the entire game.

In comparison to the first half, the second was relatively quiet despite Magull’s goal which was rightfully pulled up for being offside.

In similar fashion to the first half, England was chaotic at times – struggling to get a grip on the game and conceded possession one too many times. 

The lack of defensive organisation at the back allowed Marozsán – the best player on the pitch – to put a wonderful ball through to Bühl who fired an effort across goal and into the bottom corner leaving Earps with no chance.

The 18-year-old now has 7 goals in her last 10 games.

The biggest positive to come from the game from an English point of view was the crowd of over 77,000 people; a record for a Lionesses game in England (not a women’s football record – failing to edge the 2012 Olympic final).

This defeat now means England have won just one of their last seven games, falling to five defeats in total.

The attendance speaks for itself and is a sure sign of how far women’s football has come in the UK – but it’s important not to defer from what matters: the football.

England showed glimpses of what they are capable of against top opposition, but glimpses are no longer good enough.