Germany beat England thanks to Podolski's 'superb farewell goal'.

A spectacular long-range shot from striker Podolski secured a 1-0 victory for Germany against England in a friendly match on the evening of March 22nd.

Goal: Podolski (69').

England delivered an impressive performance despite playing away in Dortmund. Although considered the underdogs against the reigning world champions, Gareth Southgate's men gave Germany several scares.

Adam Lallana's shot hit the post before Dele Alli was denied a goal by a superb goal-line save from Marc-Andre ter Stegen. These were two standout moments in the first half, during which England created numerous chances.

However, Germany scored the winning goal in the second half. Striker Lukas Podolski unleashed a powerful shot from over 20 meters, sending the ball into the top corner, leaving goalkeeper Joe Hart with no chance.

Podolski and the joy of scoring his final goal for the German national team. Photo: Reuters.

The stunning goal against England was a cinematic ending for Podolski after his decision to retire from international football. This was the 49th goal for the 31-year-old striker in 130 appearances for Germany. Podolski's greatest achievement remains the 2014 World Cup title in Brazil.

Podolski interrupted the friendly match for a few minutes before kick-off with his farewell speech. Although not the best player of his generation, Podolski had a huge influence on the fans back home. After the match ended, the former Arsenal striker was cheered by his teammates.

Podolski's goal seemed to be enough for Germany on the night of tribute to the striker. In fact, apart from Podolski's powerful shot, Germany played poorly against a young England team under coach Southgate.

The new England manager suffered his first defeat in four games in charge, but it was a loss he could smile about. Southgate's players played creatively, energetically, and created many dangerous opportunities. Furthermore, England significantly improved their ball control and played confidently against a strong opponent like Germany.

He lost, but still showed many positive signs in terms of his playing style. Photo: Reuters.

Besides the tactical element of using a three-man formation in defense, Southgate also confidently experimented with new signings like Michael Keane. The Burnley center-back nearly opened the scoring early in the match when he joined the attack. Up front, Jamie Vardy, although seemingly isolated, was compensated by the versatility of Lallana and Alli. Both players came very close to scoring and were simply unlucky to find the back of the net against Germany.

The narrow defeat in Dortmund is not something that should damage Southgate's confidence in his efforts to rebuild the Three Lions. Based on their performance against Germany, England are completely confident of winning against Lithuania in their upcoming 2018 World Cup qualifying match.

According to VNE