Germany double delights Hitzlsperger

Wembley wonders
Goals from Kevin Kuranyi and Christian Pander allowed Joachim Löw's men to come from behind and record the victory which emulated Germany's Wembley win seven years before. The class of 2000 had succeeded in similarly wet conditions thanks to a Dietmar Hamann strike in the final international match to be played at the old Wembley.

'Great feeling'
Midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger said of this latest victory: "It is a great feeling. We were talking about it beforehand, saying we would like to be the first team to win here and obviously we've achieved that goal." The 25-year-old from Bundesliga champions VfB Stuttgart won his 26th cap on his return to England, where he had played for Aston Villa FC.

Stuttgart contingent
"It is fantastic to have played in front of nearly 90,000 people. A great night. I'm sure most of the players will remember it," added Hitzlsperger, one of four Stuttgart players in Germany's squad alongside newcomers Sami Khedira and Serdar Tasci, and midfielder Roberto Hilbert. England's first match at the new Wembley had resulted in a 1-1 draw with Brazil.

'Future's bright'
With Germany leading UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group D, Hitzlsperger is also confident about his side's chances of reaching next summer's finals in Austria and Switzerland. "We have done well in the first half of the qualifiers and obviously we've done well to win here at Wembley, so it's looking bright." Germany's next game is another trip to Britain – a qualifier in Wales on 8 September.