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Germany ran riot against a hapless Portugal team at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, beating the reigning champions 4-2 in a high-scoring Euro 2020 Group F game.
Portugal took the lead against the run of play when Cristiano Ronaldo found himself at the end of a blistering counterattack. However, Germany kept their calm and continued to play their expansive brand of football. They were soon rewarded for their efforts, as own goals from Ruben Dias and Raphael Guerreiro gave Germany the lead heading into the break.
The hosts continued to dominate in the second half as Kai Havertz and Robin Gosens found themselves on the scoresheet after the resumption. Portugal pulled one back, courtesy Diogo Jota, but that was only a consolation.
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The big win takes Germany second in Group F, ahead of third-placed Portugal. On that note, let's have a look at five hits and flops from either team in the game.
Hit: Robin Gosens (Germany)
The Atalanta wing-back has cemented his place in Germany's starting line-up with consecutive solid performances.
He hared up and down the pitch with great enthusiasm and was a constant menace down the left flank for Portugal. Gosens found the perfect square pass for Kai Havertz in the first half, which led to Ruben Dias beating his own goalkeeper.
Most importantly, Gosens took his chances well when they came to him. A Joshua Kimmich cross found its way to Gosens at the far post, and the Atalanta man made no mistake with his header. That goal that all but confirmed all three points for Germany on the night as Gosens truly delivered one of the performances of Euro 2020.
Flop: Nelson Semedo (Portugal)
Nelson Semedo is well known for his attacking exploits, but he was far from his best against Germany. The Wolves full-back was given a torrid time by Gosens on the flank.
Semedo struggled to deal with the Atalanta man all match and left him unmarked in a crucial moment, which led to Germany's fourth goal. He was quite ineffective going forward, and his influence was numbed down with relative ease.
His trademark crosses and runs into the Germany penalty box were nowhere to be seen. Overall, it was a day to forget for the former Barcelona full-back.
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Hit: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the few bright sparks for Portugal against Germany.
The 36-year-old looked threatening in the final third every time he was involved. So it was no surprise to see him in the right place at the right time to score Portugal's opener.
As Portugal crumbled under pressure in the second half, the Juventus forward kept trying his best to motivate his teammates. His clever flick back towards goal midway through the second half led to a consolation for Diogo Jota.
With a bit more help from his teammates, Ronaldo's impressive outing may not have resulted in a defeat for the reigning champions on the night.
Flop: Ruben Dias (Portugal)
Ruben Dias has recently established himself as one of the finest defenders in the game. But he failed to get going against Germany.
Portugal depend a lot on the Manchester City man to lead them from the back. But Dias struggled to cope with the array of attacking football Germany threw at the Portuguese defence. Gnabry and Havertz didn't shy away from tackles against Dias early in the first half, and the former Benfica stalwart came off second-best in most of them.
That left Dias jaded as he could never assert his dominance on Germany. It would be harsh to blame him solely for Portugal's poor outing, but he was one of the players who was largely at fault.
Hit: Kai Havertz (Germany)
There is plenty of competition for attacking spots in the Germany XI. But Kai Havertz has pretty much consolidated his berth in the starting lineup with his heroic performance against Portugal.
The Chelsea forward showed exactly why the Londoners paid the big bucks for his services, as he was central to almost everything Germany did against Portugal on the night.
Germany's equaliser was a direct consequence of Havertz's attacking play inside the Portuguese penalty area. He positioned himself perfectly to meet Gosens' cross.
His positioning proved critical in the second half as well, as he freed himself of his markers inside the box to meet a Gosens delivery. If Havertz can keep up his good work, Germany could go a long way in this tournament.
