What does England's Berlin win mean?

England's comeback to win 3-2 in Germany has restored confidence in a national team who were exiting the 2014 FIFA World Cup just two games in when their old rivals were surging on to victory in Brazil.

Germany led 2-0 in Berlin with less than half an hour to go but Harry Kane, substitute Jamie Vardy and, in added time, Eric Dier turned the game. England have another test against the Netherlands at a sold-out Wembley on Tuesday, but does Saturday's victory suggest that Roy Hodgson's side have a real chance of claiming their first UEFA EURO title in France?

Reasons to be hopeful:
Players on form
It was perhaps no surprise that two Tottenham Hotspur players and a Leicester City forward got the goals as those teams have proved a delight with their surprise Premier League title pushes. Not only has Vardy emerged from relative obscurity to shoot outsiders Leicester to top spot, but Kane, Dier and Spurs team-mates Delle Alli and Danny Rose – who made his England debut at the Olympiastadion – have transferred the vim and vigour of their club performances to the international stage. The formula against Germany, with Alli and Kane starting and then Vardy added from the bench to add extra punch, worked a dream.

• Harry Kane: "It is a friendly but it is a great night for England and shows what a team we are. We have to keep coming back, keep doing what we're doing."

Jamie Vardy got his first England goal to equalise©Getty Images

Striking options
Kane's Cruyff-inspired turn that, to excuse the pun, turned the game was matched by Vardy's clever flick to equalise within three minutes of his introduction. Considering England are currently missing record scorer Wayne Rooney, something that would have been deemed fatal for their chances not long ago, now many are questioning whether the captain will even merit a starting place in France. Certainly the pace with which England counter-attacked in Berlin, and the invention in Kane and Vardy's goals suggest that Roy Hodgson has the richest attacking resources of his four-year tenure at the very least.

• Jamie Vardy: "When you start off as sub you want to come and try and make an impact if possible, I have done that in the first few touches and we have gone on to win the game."

England enjoy their late winner©Getty Images

Winning breeds confidence
England's win follows November's Wembley defeat of France, who lead Germany as bookmakers' favourites to win the European title this summer. Since the unhappy World Cup, England have won 14 and drawn three of their 18 fixtures, with just a sole loss in Spain, and stormed through their qualifying group without dropping a point. A final tournament is another matter entirely, but recent victories mean that England ought not to fear any team in France.

• Roy Hodgson: "I thought at half-time the scoreline was very unjust and when we went 2-0 down we thought it was even more unfair because we were never out of the game and we created the better chances. But to come back and score three goals is a tremendous performance from the players and we have to take enormous credit and enormous heart from it."

Mario Gomez outjumps England to make it 2-0©AFP/Getty Images

Reasons to be cautious:
Defensive concern
England came back to win but they were 2-0 down and it could well have been more. While up front Hodgson's headache is which in-form or proven player to leave out, further back it is still unclear if he has the defence to shut out the very best when it matters. Especially in the centre, where Gary Cahill's loss of form for Chelsea earlier in the season will have given the manager some doubts about his stalwart vice-captain (or captain in Rooney's absence). It did not help that injured goalkeeper Joe Hart's understudy Jack Butland suffered ankle ligament damage in the first half in Berlin, ending his audition.

• Daniel Taylor, the Guardian: "The worry for Hodgson is not a new issue and relates to the team's defence. Sami Khedira's chipped pass for Germany's second goal was weighted beautifully but Hodgson is entitled to be dismayed by the way Mario Gomez drifted in between Gary Cahill and Nathaniel Clyne to direct his header past Fraser Forster, Butland's replacement."

Germany react to the defeat©Getty Images

Winning in Germany not always a good omen
Saturday's victory was England's third away win in a row against Germany after having prevailed 2-1 in Berlin in November 2008 (also with a late goal) and 5-1 in Munich in a September 2001 World Cup qualifier. At both subsequent final tournaments Germany went on to outperform England, and it is fair to say the late period in a friendly, when both coaches are usually bringing on substitutes and experimenting, is not quite the same as the same minutes in a major competition.

• Thomas Müller: "We don't put a lot of importance on the friendly, but we were still not satisfied."