BERLIN: Germany coach Joachim Loew admitted England were simply better than his side as John Terry's late header sealed a 2-1 win for Fabio Capello's side.
"The Englishmen were better over the entire game," said Loew, who guided Germany to the runners-up spot at Euro 2008 in June after they lost the final to Spain in Vienna.
"We had a bad day at the office and earned the defeat.
"Only in the second half did we find our feet, in what was our best phase of the game, but we had big problems in terms of organization and structure.
"You could see England getting stronger and we didn't take our chances when we had them."
England's 7,000 fans at the Olympic Stadium were in good voice as the away side had a virtual monopoly on possession in the early stages.
Without captain Michael Ballack and veteran Torsten Frings in midfield, the Germany's middle men repeatedly played second-fiddle to their English counterparts.
"We did not produce our best today, but England also tactically played very well," said Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger.
"We were simply not good enough."
West Ham defender Matthew Upson scored England's first goal before Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrick Helmes came off the bench to poach an equalizer, but England captain Terry headed the winner six minutes from time.
"It was great to score the goal, but we lost the game, so it's pretty hard to come away from the game with much to smile about," said Helmes.
And it was also a sweet-bitter evening for Hoffenheim defender Marvin Compper who made his debut for die Mannschaft, but opened his account with a defeat.
Source: China Daily/Agencies
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