From the moment England and Germany were drawn in the same group at the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals, a classic contest between these giants of the footballing world was greatly anticipated, and on 14 September, at the Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai, they certainly didn't disappoint. 27,730 fans piled in to watch an epic 0-0 encounter between these great European rivals, themselves supplementing an outstanding duel which had everything but goals with a magnificent display of support, of which the Germans enjoyed the greater share. Chants of “Deutschland, Deutschland” were followed by “England, England”, before the Chinese version kicked in - “Glock, Glock”, “Engerland, Engerland”. Throw in some Mexican waves which embraced both tiers of this fine facility and the atmosphere was absolutely buzzing - a tremendous spur to the players. And did they respond! The game was even better, a riveting, compelling contest off which one couldn't take one's eyes, lest something be missed. And it was superbly controlled by Swedish referee Jenny Palmqvist, who had to be at the top of her game given the potential for silly stuff this latest clash in an age-old rivalry presented. Make no mistake, she was. From the very first whistle, this match fair zipped along, thrust and counter-thrust the order of the day as England coach Hope Powell looked to thwart the tactics of Silvia Neid, her German counterpart, at every turn. The title-holders held sway in the opening minutes, former FIFA Women's World Player of the Year, Birgit Prinz, the first to contribute. Her bullocking run saw her take on three opponents before she went down under pressure in the penalty area, but referee Palmqvist was perfectly positioned to rule that play should continue. Prinz was again involved in the fourth minute, releasing Kerstin Garefrekes down the right at pace with a first-time pass, on receipt of Renate Lingor's ball into her. The tallest player on the pitch, Garefrekes whipped in a beautifully weighted cross which was tailor-made to arrive on Sandra Smisek's head. It did, but Rachel Brown, England's goalkeeper, anticipated the threat superbly and plucked the sphere off the striker's cranium. After Annike Krahn had sent a header bulleting wide from a Melanie Behringer corner, England responded with their first attack. Captain Faye White, who produced a Player of the Match display in this epic, sent the ball forward for Kelly Smith to pursue. German goalkeeper Nadine Angerer raced off her line in anticipation of the threat, but in doing so, misjudged the bounce of the ball, which took off the turf and was goal bound until the `keeper instinctively leapt up and got enough of her head on the sphere to divert it past the post of a gaping goal. Karen Carney took the resulting corner, with White's header flashing past the far post seconds later. Either side of two thumping free-kicks from Behringer, both of which missed the target by not a lot, England responded with a very tidy move. Casey Stoney fed Smith, who played the ball wide to Carney on the left. She somehow wriggled her way through three challenges before delivering an angled ball in behind the defence for the charging figure of Katie Chapman - a fantastic performance, particularly she played much of it with a yellow card against her name. Unfortunately for the midfielder, though she had got goal-side of German stopper Annike Krahn, the ball flew just beyond her - a real let-off for the reigning champions. All this took place inside the first twenty minutes - there was more action in this period alone than had been witnessed in the entire clash between Argentina and Japan which had preceded this match. Back came the Germans. Garefrekes found herself under pressure from Stoney, but laid the ball off to Prinz, who played in Simone Laudehr with a first-time pass as the midfielder doubled round down the right. Her cross fizzed into the penalty area, where it was cleared by Alex Scott, although the sight of Prinz sprawled on the ground suggested someone in a white shirt had got away with blue murder! On the half-hour, a chance fell at both ends of a ground which, in light of four matches and an opening ceremony having taken their toll on a pitch subjected to a week's solid rain prior to the tournament, was understandably cutting up in some areas. It wasn't enough to stop England surging down the left once more, with Stoney feeding Carney, whose cross found Jill Scott looming large in the penalty area. She stumbled at the vital moment, allowing Krahn to step in and clear the danger. She picked out Lingor, who in turn sent Behringer scampering down the left, until she met her match in White. The resulting corner from Behringer found the head of Laudehr, but her looping header landed on the roof of the net. White was again on hand moments later to deny Smisek, after Ariane Hingst and Garefrekes had combined to engineer an opening for the striker. This sparked an England raid, with Carney playing an angled ball through from the left flank. Linda Bresonik was blissfully unaware of Alex Scott's fast-closing presence behind her, and Angerer had to hurtle off her line to thump the danger to safety. Seconds later, the Lionesses roared again. A neat one-two twixt Fara Williams and White saw the former thread a pass through for Alex Scott, who lobbed over the bar on the run from twenty yards. And in the 36th minute, Carney's driven low free-kick from twenty-five yards flashed past the defensive wall, only to find Angerer right behind it. She held onto the sphere, which was just as well given Smith and Jill Scott were both hovering with intent lest she spill it. Cue another series of German raids, taking us up to the half-time break. Laudehr displayed some lovely close control before releasing Lingor down the left, where she wrong-footed Mary Phillip before whipping in a cross-shot. Brown spilled it, but was able to regather untroubled, as no-one in a red shirt was following in. Kerstin Stegemann was next to give England cause for concern, overlapping down the right before firing over a cross for Garefrekes. Her header was grabbed by Brown at the second attempt, her first block nearly diverting the ball into her own net. The goalkeeper then turned a Prinz effort round the post in the shadows of the half-time whistle, after the striker had driven into the penalty area past three opponents in order to unleash her shot.

The match venue - how it looks at night from outside. (Taken from my hotel, ten minutes' walk away) The England line-up on one of the five large viewing screens dotted around the stadium The flags of FIFA and the respective nations hanging high above the arena England squad members during their pre-match warm-up. Coach Hope Powell (dark clothing) oversees things towards the right of the picture The national flags are carried onto the ground ... ... and the teams line-up for the national anthems The teams conduct the practice of fair play The England team photo before kick-off - the media's proximity to the pitch was of the "you could almost reach out and touch them" variety. Brilliant! The Germans prepare to belt out their anthem ahead of a fabulous match German players acknowledge the crowd afterwards The post-match media conference set-up

Rain was falling by the time the second half started, but it didn't lessen the intensity of the encounter by any stretch of the imagination. Brown grabbed a Behringer cross-shot in the shadows of her crossbar four minutes after the resumption, and when next called upon, thumped a free-kick downfield. Williams flicked the ball on, allowing Smith to force her way past Hingst, only to find Angerer anticipating the situation well - she cleared emphatically. Smith turned provider on the hour mark, threading a pass through for substitute Rachel Yankey to pursue. Krahn produced a timely clearance to thwart the striker, and sparked a Behringer-led counter-attack. She played in Prinz, who held off White before checking and putting Smisek in the clear. That was until Phillip appeared on the scene - she slid in to avert the danger. By this stage, the England fans were “ole-ing” every white-shirted pass, and booing every red-shirted one - the atmosphere in which this game was played was something else. And the players continued to thrive on it. Garefrekes raced down the right in the 68th minute, and after completely wrong-footing Stoney, played the ball inside for Laudehr, who squared it to German substitute Fatmire Bajramaj. The Kosovo native lashed a low drive through a crowded penalty area, but Brown smothered it solidly. Seconds later, Prinz was stopped in her tracks by a stunning tackle from White, which prompted an England raid. Anita Asante sprayed the ball wide to Alex Scott, who initially failed to gather the ball. Upon doing so, a neat back-heel to Yankey saw the speedster scythe inside a challenge before letting fly. Angerer was right behind it. Germany responded with a  scintillating 73rd  minute move, ignited by Krahn's ball out of defence. Prinz was the recipient, and was the pivotal figure in a couple of slick one-twos with Laudehr then Smisek, the latter interchange taking place on the edge of the penalty area. Not even White could hold out this giant of the women's game this time, and Prinz held her off before shooting, only to find Brown equal to the task at hand. The Germans upped the ante still further soon after, Bajramaj's darting cross-field run culminating in a pass which put Garefrekes in beyond the last defender. Just as she pulled the trigger, Chapman, who had challenged Bajramaj seconds earlier, flung herself forward and succeeded in her attempt to block her opponent's shot to safety. Still the champions pressed, with Lingor's driven free-kick being sliced wildly over her own crossbar by Phillip. England's response was a counter-attack ten minutes from time, White and Chapman combining to send Smith charging forward. A touch on for Jill Scott saw the gangly midfielder shoot tamely and wide, five minutes before the same player found herself in the way of Smith's twice-taken twenty-five yard free-kick on both occasions - encroachment by Bajramaj, well spotted by referee Palmqvist, prompted the retake. In between times, a stumble by Chapman had let in Garefrekes. Twelve yards out, a goal seemed inevitable, but Brown blocked brilliantly with her legs to maintain the scoreless scoreline. No-one was following in for Germany, but Prinz took charge of the situation, only to be forced wide by England's resolute defensive effort, thus losing the chance to break the deadlock. Four minutes from time, Lingor loomed large on the right. Yankey blocked her shot, the rebound of which fell to Stegemann. Her first-time drive, low through the gathered throngs, was smothered by Brown. After Smith had fired over the top on the run from twenty-five yards, the final attack in a stunning game of football saw the Germans pressing for a last-gasp winner. Bajramaj and Bresonik linked on the left, the latter clipping a delicious cross into the danger zone. Phillip headed it away, but only as far as Prinz, who, much to her undisguised dismay, pulled the final shot of the game well wide of the target. As was to be expected, England coach Hope Powell was highly delighted with the outcome. “It was a very tough game for us, and hopefully for them too. They are a great side - we have great respect for the world and European champions. But we had a game plan for them which we stuck to and the players believed in, and we're very happy with a point as a result, although three would have been nice! “It was a magnificent performance. To get a point from the world champions is a great achievement. The girls worked hard tonight and got their just reward”. While not wishing to single out individuals - England are very much of the team ethic in their approach, Powell couldn't ignore the efforts of her captain, and one other player. “After all she has been through with injury, Faye White has worked very, very hard to get to where she is tonight, while a player who sometimes goes unnoticed, but who was really outstanding tonight, was Katie Chapman. “As a team, it's blatantly obvious we're improving, but so is the rest of the world. Five years ago, we set out a plan to make the girls stronger, fitter and faster, all hallmarks of the German game. That plan is now coming to fruition”. Powell's opposite number, German coach Silvia Neid, praised England's progress. “They played very well in defence, stood tight, and didn't allow us any space. We've seen both development and improvement in England, both in attack and defence, since beating them 5-1 last October. “As for ourselves, we're confident we're on the right track, and can still make it out of our group. While it would have been nice to get three points from this match, we can get three points in our next game, which will see us progress. “Tonight I was pleased with our defensive performance - there was an air of serenity about us. In attack, we created more chances in the second half, and strategically, it was a very good game”. That's something of an understatement! As 0-0 draws go, this was about as good as it gets! England:     Brown; Phillip, White, Asante, Stoney; A. Scott, Williams (booked, 55), Chapman (booked, 16), J. Scott, Carney (Yankey, 56); Smith Germany:     Angerer; Stegemann, Krahn (booked, 36), Hingst, Bresonik; Garefrekes, Lingor, Laudehr (booked, 84), Behringer (Bajramaj, 62); Prinz, Smisek Referee:     Jenny Palmqvist (Sweden)