Life came at Thomas Muller very fast during England vs Germany on Tuesday afternoon.
As Muller and his German teammates sang the national anthem at Wembley, he gave a cheeky wink to the camera when it panned towards him.
The Bayern Munich forward was clearly full of confidence as Joachim Low’s side looked to cause further international misery for England in the Euro 2020 last-16 fixture.
Cheeky Thomas Muller 😉#ENG v #GER is under way now!
📺📻 Watch: https://t.co/HtdRT4VzgS#bbceuro2020 #ENGGER pic.twitter.com/PkxQSF2rhE
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 29, 2021
But the image of Muller that everyone will remember from the contest is the one with his head in his hands, in utter disbelief after missing an absolute sitter in the second half.
Almost straight after opening the scoring with his third goal of the tournament, Raheem Sterling gifted Muller a golden chance with some sluggish play in midfield.
The ball broke to Chelsea’s Kai Havertz and he sent Muller through with a perfect pass. The 31-year-old was one-on-one with Jordan Pickford and every England fan’s heart was in their mouth.
Massive let off for England!#ENG 1-0 #GER
📺 Watch live: https://t.co/0Sp2UauTpF#bbceuro2020 #euro2020 pic.twitter.com/qTEOwSk9rD
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 29, 2021
But inexplicably, Muller’s finish was poor and he put the ball wide in what was an incredible let-off for Sterling and England.
Muller, who struck twice in Germany’s 4-1 World Cup rout over England in South Africa in 2010, fell to the turf and put his hands on his head.
He passed up a glorious opportunity to level matters and having been subbed off late on, is still waiting for a first European Championship goal after 15 appearances.
Thomas Muller misses the target entirely on a 1-on-1 chance with Jordan Pickford. Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/7NfhuTYr0Q
— Matchday365 (@Matchday365) June 29, 2021
🇩🇪 Thomas Muller at the European Championships
🙋♂️ Appearances – 15
⚽️ Goals – 0📸 What a moment!#ENG #GER #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/2rO21Z0NDq
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) June 29, 2021
Muller was made to rue the miss when Harry Kane doubled England’s lead with his first goal of Euro 2020, with the memorable 2-0 win setting up a quarter-final date with Ukraine or Sweden in Rome on Saturday.