JOYFUL MAGUIRE URGES CAUTION
HARRY MAGUIRE could not contain his delight at England’s glorious victory over the old enemy.
But the central defender, so impressive at the back, was quick to bring teammates and supporters alike back down to earth by saying, ‘Come Saturday’s quarter-final, it is back to business’.
Maguire (right) said: “It gives us confidence going forward. I’m not going to play it down, it means everything to beat them.
“It was a magnificent victory and a big celebration in the end. We have put a smile on a lot of people’s faces and that’s why we play football.
“But come Saturday, it is business again. We’ve done nothing yet. Before the game you could hear people saying about the run and the side of the draw – the side of the draw means absolutely nothing.
“Every team still in the tournament at this stage is an excellent team and have quality players.
“So we’re fully focused on ourselves and don’t get carried away.”
Raheem Sterling, who scored the first goal, hailed the efforts of team-mates
Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips. Sterling scored his third goal in four matches and said: “The two boys in midfield, they were class.
“They ate up ground and they were just animals in there.
“All around, it was a great team performance.”
Rice added: “Today we created our own bit of history.
“Everyone had that fire in their belly to go out there and, one, knock Germany out the tournament and, two, progress to the next round.” Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has now kept four clean sheets – the first time England have done this in a major tournament since 1966.
And he admitted he was hoping for a return to Wembley for the semi-final.
He said: “The atmosphere of 45,000 fans was amazing. “That just gives us the desire on Saturday, it is another opportunity to come back to Wembley.”