If you listen to those senior British officers already preparing to police England fans at the Russia World Cup next summer, you will find signs of genuine optimism. The first diplomatic mission to Moscow recently concluded and it is clear that Russian football police have a good intelligence network, know exactly where the criminal element resides and can handle these crowds with more sophistication than the outside world might think.

It is England who present the problem. When the nation’s fans were involved in open warfare with French and Russian gangs at last summer’s European Championships, talk among football’s authorities turned to how they might be persuaded that watching the national team should not involve colonising some unsuspecting town and singing about the RAF and the war. Nothing has changed.

Last summer’s hooliganism storm burned out as fast as it took hold and what we have been left with Dortmund this week has been the same sense of embarrassment to be English. The occupation of the German town was one thing, but the chanting and absence of respect during England’s match against Joachim Löw’s side took things up onto another level.

Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Marc-Andre ter Stegen – 6 out of 10 Rash when coming out to challenge Vardy early on, but stood firm to block Alli’s decent chance towards the end of the first half. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Joshua Kimmich – 7 out of 10 One of the few young German players to have a decent evening and potentially sent a message to Carlo Ancelotti, who has not offered him much playing time this season. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Mats Hummels – 7 out of 10 Germany’s best all-round performer, rarely looked troubled by England’s attacking talents. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Antonio Rudiger – 6 out of 10 A solid display, if unspectacular. Did well on the rare occasions when England went aerial. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Jonas Hector – 7 out of 10 Impressed after taking his time to grow into the game. His link-up play with Sane in the second-half was at the root of all England’s problems. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Julian Weigl – 5 out of 10 The main culprit in Germany’s surprising struggle to who Hauled off for Liverpool’s Emre Can midway through the second half. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Toni Kroos – 5 out of 10 Surprisingly poor when it came to the simple stuff, misplaced several passes when not under pressure. Struggled to win his battle against the lesser light of Livermore. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Leroy Sane – 6 out of 10 Did not crackle like we know he can from his recent Manchester City form, but another who improved as the evening went on. Perhaps should’ve doubled Germany’s lead. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Julian Brandt – 4 out of 10 Another player reportedly attracting Premier League interest, he did not show why here. Switched for Andre Schurrle. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Lukas Podolski – 6 out of 10 The equivalent of a testimonial for the veteran and you could tell from his first-half performance. Then came Der Hammer, as Germany’s support calls his left peg. A stunning winner. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Timo Werner – 4 out of 10 The RB Leipzig frontman, a reported target for Liverpool, failed to translate his exciting form at club level to the international stage. Disappointing, but it was only his debut. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Joe Hart – 7 out of 10 Could do little for Podolski’s goal, but did well shortly after to deny Sane with an excellent stop down low to his left. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Gary Cahill – 4 out of 10 Lucky not to concede a penalty for needlessly leaning into a cross in the first-half and could have done better to stop Podolski’s screamer. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Michael Keane – 6 out of 10 Asked to play in a back three on his debut after excelling in a rigid four at Turf Moor all season, but coped admirably. One lapse in concentration was almost punished by Sane. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Chris Smalling – 5 out of 10 An indifferent night from the centre-half. Unlike Cahill, he was rarely called into question, but still did not convince. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Kyle Walker – 6 out of 10 Showed why he will be integral to Southgate’s England in his forays down the right flank, but only did so in glimpses. Hector and Sane began to cause him problems has the game went on. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Eric Dier – 6 out of 10 A lucky boy not to be severely punished for a late, robust tackle on Weigl. That aside, he helped to stifle Germany’s midfield. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Jake Livermore – 7 out of 10 Not everyone’s idea of a no 7, but combined well with Dier in the centre of the park to disrupt Germany’s passing, particularly in the first half. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Ryan Bertrand – 6 out of 10 Not as threatening as Walker was in moments, but defensively solid and frustrated Brandt in the first-half. Schurrle gave him a few more problems after the break. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Dele Alli – 7 out of 10 England’s main creative outlet, but also found himself on the end of several chances. Should have opened the scoring with the first-half’s best chance but hit it straight at Ter Stegen. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Adam Lallana – 7 out of 10 Came close to scoring in his fourth straight England appearance, but thwacked the post after an impressive burst forward. Germany 1 England 0 player ratings Jamie Vardy – 5 out of 10 Aggrieved to have not won a penalty early on, but you could tell he was looking for it. Too deep at times too, despite Germany’s defensive line offering him space in behind.

Just when you thought it might have vanished, those so-familiar strains of the ’10 German bombers’ song issued out again like the return of a recurring nightmare. And it was not an intellectually-challenged few who were happy to sing for fully 15 minutes of how “the RAF from England shot them down.” Dozens did so. There’s a bit of choreography at the end of the song where everyone puts their arms out like a plane. It is no exaggeration to say that the corner housing the English component was full of wretched planes. You just hoped that the Germans couldn’t work out what they were singing.

That was half way through the first half of what, in retrospect, we can say was one of the most promising performances from an England side for years – a display of intelligence, positional awareness and confidence, provided by a group of young England players quite clearly up to the intellectual challenge of a new tactical system. Yet throughout that first 45-minute period there was not a single song about an England player.

The Geman contingent had shown what an interest in football looked like with their send-off for Lukas Podolski, of course, though the braying English saw fit to howl through that and to boo through the German national anthem. The ugliness of the hand gestures for Podolski when he left the field are almost beyond words. This was the behaviour of scum. Such are the liberties for which our forebears laid down their lives. What would they think to see these people now?

The fans' occupation in the town centre was one thing, but chanting about the war was shameful (PA)

The only mercy about next summer in Moscow is that the tournament is too far away and its locations too far removed from each other to send England supporters out in vast numbers. But a few Russia songs are doing the rounds already and from where we stand now, it seems very likely that English football's reputation will be dragged through the mud again, with more episodes of juvenile delinquency with a beer-fuelled, nationalistic twist.

The challenge is how to hammer home the point that this is socially unacceptable – and no doubt, the British police will tread carefully. The issue was a hospital pass for Gareth Southgate on his first night as international manager and seems to be a delicate one for a Football Association which does not want to alienate those who travel. But Southgate’s comments were, frankly, not nearly strong enough.

The FA strengthened its position late on Thursday when its chairman Greg Clarke described the behaviour as “inappropriate, disrespectful and disappointing” and urged travelling England supporters to “show respect and not to chant songs that could be regarded as insulting to others”. The governing body will review video footage to identify those involved in anti-social behaviour in Dortmund and they could become the subject of banning orders and prevened from travelling to watch England.

The chants were not made by a small handful, but dozens who sang loud enough to be heard on television (AP)