The rivalry did nothing to dampen English spirits as fans across the land.
Britain's pubs filled up in time for kick-off, while cinemas and giant screens in cities across the country showed the game.
At Spitalfields market in east London, an estimated 8,000 people followed the action on a huge screen.
Sports meetings from the tennis at Queen's Club to the England v Sri Lanka cricket match in Manchester provided similar facilities.
Life was put on hold across the nation for the match - even by couples
Accountant Debbie Keevil, 34, put back her church wedding to fiance Vern
Chinn-Shaw, 37, a sales export manager, so their guests at the ceremony in
Little Heath, near Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, would not miss the football.
Bookmakers estimated a record one million bets to have been made and one punter put £40,000 on both Germany and England winning their games.
Ladbrokes said the most popular bet had been Michael Owen to score the first goal in a 2-0 win at odds of 14-1.
Although most England fans in the northern city of Niigata found black market tickets easy to come by, many expressed anger at the Football Association for rejecting an offer from Fifa of 1,000 extra tickets.
The FA said its ticket distribution organisation, England fans, had all the tickets it wanted and it did not want to sell them on the street in case they are bought by hooligans.
The Football Supporters' Association has bitterly criticised the decision because they say fans were being forced to pay hundreds of pounds on the black market.
"It's disgraceful", said Steve Jenner, 33, a property developer from Portsmouth who did not have a ticket for the Denmark game.
John Hepple, 63, who travelled to Japan from Stockport, said: "I've not seen any hooligans here.
"There's too much control and it's too far for them to travel."