Germany and Poland both got off to winning starts to their campaign in IEFA Euro 2016 against Ukraine and Northern Ireland respectively. And they were looking to build on the momentum going into their second game. However, on Thursday night the when the World Champions clashed against the mighty poles, they made thousands of fans in the Stade de France in Paris witnesses to a paltry goalless draw.
The result at the aftermath of Northern Ireland latest stunning victory against Ukraine throws Group C wide open with three teams now still capable of winning the group. With three best 3rd placed sides also up for qualification, Group C seems to be a favourite to provide one of those contenders.
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Here are five biggest talking points from the game:
#1 Wasteful Milik
Arkadiusz Milik announced himself on the international scene with the winner against Northern Ireland in Poland’s first game of the campaign. That goal went a long way to cover up for the number of chances the Ajax forward missed leading up to his moment of glory. With the goal in his bag, however, most praised the 22-year-old for his presence on the field and getting to the dangerous areas in the finals third.
Thursday night, however, was a different story altogether. The Poles went all guns blazing and matched the Germans in all aspect of the game and you wouldn’t blame them if they thought that they deserved to win it. The Baltic state produced the best chances in the game with the best two falling to the erring Milik.
The Ajax man started off on his journey of misses in the first minute of the second half when he guided a Kamil Grosicki cross wide from six yards out when it looked harder to miss than score. He followed that up with another howler when he totally miscued a low cross from the left. This was Milik’s opportunity to etch his names in the ethos of Polish football but sadly it was not to be.
#2 Not the Germany we know
The German side that won the World Cup last year gave us a display of incisive football with both the ball and players floating around the pitch like it was a routine from a synchronised swimming event. The precision of their passing and movement made us all stand in awe and admire the machine that was the German team.
However, two years later in the Euros, that fluency and panache in the German team seem to be missing. Joachim Low’s men seem indecisive in the final third both with the final ball as well as the players’ movement. That culminated in a show in which the World Champions failed to produce a single clear-cut opportunity at goal. Ozil’s shot in the second-half was the closest the Germans got to scoring and it would be unfair if we say that Low was the happier of the two managers when the final whistle blew.
With the interchanging of the wingers ever so often and Mario Gotze failing to find his niche in the team, it looks as if Low has to dig into more places than his pants to get the Germans back on track.
#3 A formidable Poland
Whilst, many will point out the disjointedness of the German team for their ineffective showing on Thursday night, one should take nothing away from their opponents for shackling throughout the game. Poland seems to be a team that has little flaw. While they might not be as expansive as many of the other fancied teams in the competition, Adam Nawalka has sculpted a well-drilled machine where everyone puts a shift in.
Right from their superstar striker Robert Lewandowski at the front to the unfancied Michal Pazdan, everyone did a job. In fact, it took 136 minutes for an opponent to have a shot on target against them. And if Arkadiusz Milik had taken his chances, we would have been looking at a whole new script at the moment.
The Poles, who were one of the dark horses coming into the tournament, may have just announced themselves on the big stage.
#4 The enigma that is Mario Gotze
Mario Gotze has been termed many things from the “German Messi” to “Germany’s golden boy”. However, in the last two years, the nimble-footed German has seen his rise up the footballing charts come to a halt. The last big act that anyone remembers from the ex-Borussia Dortmund man was his extra-time winner in the World Cup final, that handed Germany the much-coveted prize.
The World Cup was followed by a move to Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014 where he was supposed to take his game to the next level. However, two years on and the left-footed wonder kid seems lost, his career stuck at a dead end and going by the performances in the first two games, he isn’t inspiring confidence in many of his believers.
The 24-year-old seems to be floundering his lines, looking desperately for answers that will get him back on track. But in that desperation, he is popping up everywhere yet delivering very little. The prodigy that is Gotze, was seen playing the false nine role on occasions in Joachim Low’s scheme of things whilst also trying to be the link man in the middle. But he failed to sync in with the front triumvirate of Julian Draxler, Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller.
#5 Toni Kroos and Jerome Boateng impress
Whilst Germany fluffed their lines in the final third, they still have their spine in place in the middle. Unlike his compatriots, Toni Kroos looked in command of his game and decisive with both his touches and passing. He was Germany’s main man in the middle, orchestrating the flow of the game with passes, both short and long. It was in fact, a real pity that players like Draxler and Gotze weren’t playing at the same level as their compatriot from Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, at the back Jerome Boateng was immense and a big reason why the game finished goalless. While Mats Hummels might have worn the captain’s armband with Bastian Schweinsteiger on the bench, there was no doubt as to who was leading the Germans from the back. With Hummels not fully match-fit, the new Bayern Munich signing wasn’t able to impose himself on the game as much as he would have liked.
Thankfully for the Germans, Boateng was immense at the back. The much feared Robert Lewandowski was pretty much shadowed and shackled throughout the ninety minutes and when the Polish superstar did get a sniff of scoring, Boateng was there to avert the danger with a brilliantly timed tackle. The 27-year-old former Manchester City man finished the game with 10 interventions involving 3 interceptions, 2 tackles, 2 clearances, 2 blocks and 1 aerial.
Boateng also bagged the man of the match performance for his efforts.
