A BATTALION-STRONG contingent of British troops cheered their way out of the Walter Ulbricht Stadium here tonight after Young England had battled to a rugged, rip-roaring win over East Germany.
And they had plenty to cheer! For this was not the half-pace canter that most of us had expected against an experimental German line up. It was a game that had to be won with skill, determination, and often just PLAIN GUTS. Every one of the Germans came out fighting—and I mean fighting. I have seldom seen a side get away with so much so often. I counted six tackles—two in particular on slim inside right George Eastham and left winger Eddie Holliday—that would have meant a certain sending off in Britain. That was on top of the usual body checking that hindered touchline raiders Terry Paine and Holliday.
   But Czech referee Vrbovec dismissed them all with a casual wave of his long arms.
So once again an English team were up against Continental-type tactics that put them in a near impossible position. Thankfully, they kept their heads and stuck to the rules as we know them in a successful fight back after being a goal down in seventeen minutes.
   And if some of our tackling got a bit rugged, who could really blame the English lads?
Fortunately only one player was really hurt—German right back, Kalinke, who went off for ten minutes near the end. Young England skipper Maurice Setters, who drove his side to the limit in stamina-sapping heat, can take a special bow. Setters was cut down three times by clogging tackles, but he never lost command of the situation. And the way in which he rapped orders and encouragement across the pitch enhanced his chances of promotion to full England status. It's a pity that only a meagre 12,000 fans turned up for this game in a period of decline for English soccer. Because I am proud to report a battling England performance. These youngsters all pitched in after inside right Hans Riese dived in to nod the Germans into a shock 17th minute lead. But England were level three minutes later. Goalkeeper Tony Macedo punted a long ball through the middle. And from inside left Peter Dobing's header, Burnley centre forward Ray Pointer hooked home the equaliser. Macedo became an England hero when he pulled off a superb split-second save from a free-kick which would have put the Germans ahead again. And the Fulham 'keeper was there again with another couple of dazzling efforts in the second half. Then in the fifty-fourth minute Holliday got one of the coolest goals I have seen for a long time. As Paine's inch-perfect right-wing corner kick dropped at Holliday's feet, the British soldier fans on the terraces roared for the Middlesbrough winger to hit first time.
   But Holliday calmly brought the ball down, picked his spot and belted it into the roof of the net.
That made it 2—1, but it was not until the eighty-eight minute that Dobing made the game safe for England with a header from Pointer's cross. Then in the dying seconds Holliday got his second goal and England's fourth by snapping up a loose ball and crashing it home.
    A German official told me afterwards that they thought this was a hard, tough and skilful English side.
And if the Germans had any ideas about playing it tough, they met a bunch of lads who were not prepared to give an inch.
   

Before only 12,000 in East Berlin the Under-23 team began their tour with a splendid 4-1 victory. Germany opened the scoring after 17 minutes but it was soon clear that the hard-tackling England team were eager to seize every opportunity and they soon equalised. As the game progressed they became increasingly its masters, even though they had to wait until the last minutes before scoring their final two goals. During the second half Macedo made many five saves. England's goals came from Holliday (2), Pointer, and Dobing; Riese scored for Germany.