Philipp Lahm and Manuel Neuer have returned early from international duty. On Saturday, the day after Germany’s 1–1 draw with Italy in Milan, the Bayern pair returned to Munich while the rest of the German squad travelled on to England prior to Tuesday’s friendly at Wembley. “The game against England is our last opportunity to try out a few tactical and line-up variations before the World Cup,” commented national coach Joachim Löw, explaining why he was declining to field his captain and first-choice goalkeeper in London. “The important thing at the moment is for me to try out other players in key positions and give them a decent chance against a great team like England.“
Captain Robben on target as Dutch draw
Arjen Robben and his Netherlands team-mates were held 2–2 by Japan in a friendly on Saturday afternoon despite taking a two-goal lead. Rafael van der Vaart (12) and Robben (39), who captained his country on the day, put the Dutch in the driving seat in the match staged in Genk in Belgium, but Yuya Osako (44) and Keisuke Honda (59) levelled it up for the Asians.
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