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Keegan quits Germany tops England 1-0 in farewell to Wembley, coach
WEMBLEY, England (AP) -- This wasn't how it was supposed to end. England had hoped to give soon to be demolished Wembley stadium a suitable send off with a World Cup qualifying victory over Germany on Saturday. Instead the Germans won 1-0 and England coach Kevin Keegan resigned. The 70,000 England fans who had shown up expecting a carnival atmosphere walked home in the rain in dismay as their team's latest failure became the closing chapter in the 77-year history of the famous old stadium. Wembley, the so called Venue of Legends that had hosted a Live Aid concert to help starving Africans, a mass by the Pope and a 70th birthday tribute for Nelson Mandela as well as sports events such as the 1948 Olympics and 1966 World Cup, didn't deserve this poor England performance. At least Keegan's dramatic departure made it a day to remember if only for the wrong reasons. Keegan quit as his team was left six points adrift in a World Cup qualifying group after just one game. After 20 months in charge but with a Euro 2000 failure also against him, Keegan resigned saying he did not think he was up to the job. "I really just feel a little bit short of what's required," said the former Liverpool, Newcastle and Hamburg star who had been in charge for 18 games and had a record of seven wins, seven ties and four losses. "I just felt that things weren't right and I couldn't find in myself at the time the way to solve the problems," Keegan said about the loss at Wembley which followed first round elimination at the European Championship in the summer. Dietmar Hamann's 35-yard free kick before 76,377 fans meant that the final game to be staged at Wembley Stadium before its demolition and reconstruction was a German victory over its old rival. It was at Wembley 34 years ago that England won its only major title by beating the Germans 4-2 in the 1966 World Cup final. But England finds itself six points adrift of Germany in qualifying group nine and all the history of the famous old ground, built 77 years ago, counted for nothing. The result also means that the Germans, who also beat Greece 2-0, still have never lost an away game in World Cup qualifying. "It was a superb performance my by team and I am very proud," said German coach Rudi Voeller, who has the job until he hands over to Bayer Leverkusen's Christoph Daum next June. "Winning 1-0 against England in the last game at Wembley, I knew there was more than just the three points at stake and that there was such a historical significance for the whole country," Voeller said. "The team played absolutely great and deserves the highest praise. "I don't see how they could have played much better in the first half. It's significant that England didn't get a single corner kick in the first half and that's amazing." There was no real reason for England to get caught out by a quickly taken free kick in the 14th minute. Paul Scholes lost possession and then fouled Mehmet Scholl 35 yards from goal and the English defenders were slow to react. They hadn't even begun to form a wall when Hamann let fly with a low, right-footed shot and the ball brushed the fingertips of the diving David Seaman before squirming inside his left hand post. Hamann's swerving shot went past Scholes and Gareth Southgate and Seaman was too slow in getting down to save it. "I think David Seaman wasn't ready for the shot and fortunately it went in," said Hamann. "It was a deserved victory, we had a couple of other chances. "They spoiled our party during Euro 2000, maybe we spoiled theirs now." England's reply was a David Beckham free kick that beat the wall but was straight at goalkeeper Oliver Kahn. But there seemed more danger of a second German goal than an England equalizer as Rudi Voeller's team dominated. Seaman had to dive low to his left to finger tip a low shot from Marcos Bode round the post and then held another free kick from a similar range from Scholl. Andy Cole produced a glancing, long range header from Graeme Le Saux's left wing cross but it was straight at Kahn. And England almost snatched an equalizer two minutes before the break when captain Tony Adams dived to meet a Beckham free kick and Kahn did well to smother the header at the foot of his right hand post. England replaced Gary Neville with Kieron Dyer at the start of the second half and reshaped its formation from 4-4-2 to 3-5-2. But again it was Germany who almost scored again in the 52nd minute when Scholl went on a weaving run down the left and Seaman had to make a one-handed save to keep out his angled, left foot shot. England burst into life in the 59th minute with a slick move from the halfway line and it ended with a powerfully hit, swerving Beckham shot from 25 yards which Kahn pushed over the top with an acrobatic save. It should have been 2-0 eight minutes from the end when Scholes gave the ball away from his own throw in and the Germans broke quickly down the right. Oliver Bierhoff and Jens Nowotny were both unmarked close to the England goal but tried to walk the ball in and wasted the chance. England when had to take off the limping Beckham and replace him with Ray Parlour and its most influential player was out of the game. The departing Keegan said the Manchester United star was a major doubt for the game against Finland but he would rule him out of playing. Lineups: England - David Seaman; Gary Neville (sub: Kieron Dyer, 46th), Tony Adams, Martin Keown, Graeme Le Saux (Gareth Barry, 78th); David Beckham (Ray Parlour, 82nd), Gareth Southgate, Paul Scholes, Nick Barmby; Andy Cole, Michael Owen. Germany - Oliver Kahn; Marko Rehmer, Jens Nowotny, Thomas Linke; Mehmet Scholl, Carsten Ramelow, Michael Ballack, Sebastian Deisler, Dietmar Hamman; Oliver Bierhoff, Marco Bode (Christian Ziege, 87h). Referee - Stefano Braschi, Italy.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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