Disbelief. Shock. Astonishment.
England's 5-1 win in Munich on September 1, 2001 remains a “where were you” moment for Three Lions fans who'd never witnessed it's like before – or since. Luckily for me it was an “I was there” night, a result captured in history and a game never to be forgotten by anyone inside Munich's vast Olympiastadion.
In our business the games come thick and fast and many are often forgotten even quicker. Not this one, though. Almost 21 years later it lives on in the memory for England fans, and this reporter. And it's treasured even more because it came from absolutely nowhere.
That much was clear in the look of bewilderment that was etched on the face of nearly every German sports writer in the press box as referee Perluigi Collina blew the final whistle. If England's travelling press pack didn't quite believe it, our German counterparts certainly couldn't. They looked at each other not knowing whether to laugh or cry as they prepared to trash their beloved national team in print.
But the scoreboard didn't lie. Never has the final result on a stadium big screen been photographed so much. Myself and my colleagues kept staring at it just to confirm what we'd just seen. Germany fans around us were stunned into silence as all that could be hears were jubilant England fans who sang long into the night. “5-1 – and even Heskey scored” was the chant which filled the Munich air - but the night hadn't started all that well for Sven Goran Eriksson's stars.
Bayern Munich giant striker Carsten Jancker scored after just six minutes to leave England fans fearing a tough night ahead. But England quickly clicked into gear with Michael Owen coolly scoring the first goal of his hat-trick to level the scores. Steven Gerrard's long range thunderbolt just before half time stunned Germany before Owen's second moments after half time left Rudi Voller's men in disarray.
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Gerrard slipped Owen in to score his hat-trick with a shot smashed past keeper Oliver Khan before David Beckham and Paul Scholes combined to slip in Emile Heskey. Never the greatest of finishers, Heskey grabbed his chance of history and slotted home the late goal that made it 5-1 and put all of England in dreamland in Deutschland.
Downstairs in the interview area, England players wore grins that stayed for days and years later Beckham would say “I think about that game almost every day”. Hat-trick hero Owen had swopped his shirt at the final whistle with Germany defender Jorg Bohme. But when he got back to the dressing room he realised his shirt would be an iconic memento of his career – and asked pal Christian Ziege to retrieve it for him.
The shirt and match ball now take pride of place in an alarmed cabinet at his home. As for Sven, his initial reaction was shock. So much so he told Sky's Clare Tomlinson: “I don't think we are as good as the goals shows, I mean 5-1 here is maybe too much but the team played very well.” The under-stated Swede should have relished it more as it was his stand-out win in charge of England. Not everyone was thrilled at the win though.
On returning to my hotel well after midnight a grumpy barman refused a request for beers and slammed down the shutters. Even that, though, couldn't dampen the greatest England win I've ever seen.
