Tuesday 25 November 2014 10:24, UK
England women boss Mark Sampson saluted the 'spirit and backbone' of his players after they were handed a footballing lesson at the hands of European champions Germany.
Sampson insisted England were the better side after Germany raced two goals clear inside 12 minutes in front of a crowd of 45,619, a record for an England home game.
In truth, Germany looked much stronger throughout as they eased to a 3-0 win, but Sampson vowed his players had taken an important step on the road to next summer's World Cup in Canada.
He said: "I thought we were positive and for large parts of the game we were the team that dominated possession and we controlled the game, but in those breakdown moments the Germans are the best in the world and they're going to punish you with clinical counter-attacks and clinical finishing.
"But we've taken so much from the game today and we're in such a better place now than we were at the first whistle.
"As a manager it's your job to learn about your team and what I've learnt today is they don't fear these teams. They want to give it a go and go eye to eye and be positive. The biggest lesson I've learnt is that they've got some character and some spirit, these players.
"To be 2-0 down against a world-class team after 15 minutes in an arena like this, you've got to show some backbone to keep going. And the way they responded after that, to be the better team after that, we know we can tick that box now and we'll take that into every game going forward."
The crowd's response to England was a notable aspect of the afternoon and Sampson saluted the public reaction, saying: "It's incredible, there's no other word to describe it. They didn't just turn out but they stayed with the team and got behind them.
"The players will be forever grateful to every supporter who came today because they made it a special day for the players and one they'll remember for the rest of their lives."
