Harry Kane says England ready to produce high-octane performance against Germany
Euro 2020: Trippier backs Harry Kane to start firing for England
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And so to the cliff edge. After 25 months and 11 matches in these extended European Championships, England finally reach the point of no return.
Win and onto Rome they go for the quarter-final; lose and it will be the German history lesson all over again.
This is where we find out about this England team and its inner core.
We know about its ability to steamroller lesser opponents in qualifying, we know about its plodding dispatch of the next tier up in the group stages.
We do not know how it will handle one of the powerhouses of the international game with the pressure cranked up to maximum this evening.
The World Cup semi-final run in Russia three years ago was intoxicating but the draw opened up kindly for England. There is no such generosity this time.
This may not be a vintage Germany but it is still Germany.
Tonight we get to see whether England are made of concrete or cotton wool.
“Germany have been hugely successful in international football.
“When you look at their history and the trophies they’ve won they’ve had a huge impact,” said England captain Harry Kane.
“I feel like their squad tomorrow night is very strong.
“I know people have been talking about it maybe not being as strong as it was in the past.
“But when I look at their individuals and the players and experience they’ve got I would definitely say it’s one of their best teams.
“We know we have a tough game on our hands and a tough challenge.
“German teams in general seem to go far in a lot of tournaments. We need to try to break that mould.
“Our history isn’t as good – I think we’ve only won one knockout game in 50 years or so in this competition.
“It’s a challenge for us as players to write our own history and put a marker down hopefully for the rest of the tournament.”
The markers so far at these Euros have been written in binary code. Two 1-0 wins and a 0-0 draw from three group matches from England was a successful smothering operation but not much more. Only two teams delivered fewer shots in the group stages.
If England are to progress to the quarter-final they will almost certainly need to produce more as an attacking unit.
Kane has yet to trouble the scorers. If it isn’t now then it might well be never at this tournament.
“With three clean sheets, defensively we’ve been in control but with the players that we’ve got I think we all feel we can create more for each other,” said Kane, who scored in England’s 3-2 win over Germany in Berlin five years ago.
“That is something we will obviously try to improve on on Tuesday – try to find more space higher up the pitch and maybe play through lines a little bit quicker, moving the ball a little bit quicker.
“We can definitely create more as a team and that would allow not only me but also the other great attacking players to have more chances and hopefully score a couple more goals.”
Can England lift the weight of history? Perhaps the key to that will be to forget it exists and play the game not the occasion.
That has been England’s plan since their opponents were revealed and Kane’s final words to his men will underscore it.
“The messaging will be what it’s been all week – to be free, to enjoy it,” he said.
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