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Germany beat Portugal 4-2 in Munich to notch up their first win at Euro 2020 and get their campaign up and running.
Both teams had started off their Euro 2020 campaigns in contrasting fashion. Portugal beat Hungary on matchday one, while Germany stumbled at home against France.
On Saturday, Portugal looked for their second victory to progress to the knockout round of the competition, while Germany looked to get off the mark at Euro 2020. But it was Die Mannschaft who started on the front foot. They dominated Portugal, moving the ball with intent and attacking menacingly through the flanks.
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Germany thought they opened the scoring when Robin Gosens finished brilliantly, but VAR chalked the goal off for offside. Much against the run of play, Portugal opened the scoring on the night. Cristiano Ronaldo finished off a brilliant counter-attacking move to put the defending champions in front in Munich.
Nevertheless, Germany continued dominating proceedings and scored the equaliser in the 35th minute when Ruben Dias scored past his own goalkeeper. Germany then went ahead a few minutes later through another own goal. This time Raphael Guerreiro put the ball into his own goal as Germany went into half-time with a well-deserved lead.
Portugal started the second half with more intent, thanks to the introduction of Renato Sanches in midfield. However, Germany doubled their lead in the 51st minute when Kai Havertz produced a calm finish. Germany continued to press forward and scored another when the brilliant Robin Gosens headed past Rui Patrício to score Die Mannschaft's fourth of the game.
Portugal reduced arrears when Diogo Jota scored off a Cristiano Ronaldo assist. Both teams then hit the woodwork in the closing moments. Renato Sanchez smacked a blinder against the post, while Leon Goretzka grazed a volley against the upright. Germany, though, saw off the remainder of the game for their first win at Euro 2020 and leapfrog the reigning champions to second place in the points table.
After arguably the most entertaining game at Euro 2020 thus far, the group of death has been split wide open. With France splitting points against Hungary in Budapest earlier in the game, all four teams can qualify for the Round of 16 on matchday three.
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Portugal will now need to beat France to finish in the top two, while Germany will need to beat Hungary to do likewise. On that note, let's have a look at the five talking points from the game.
#1 Germany's Joachim Low gets his tactics spot on
Germany came into the tournament on a run of unconvincing results, so many believed they had no chance of progressing beyond the group stage at Euro 2020. Their long-standing coach, Joachim Low has been blamed for not knowing his best XI and criticised for his tactics, especially in Germany's matchday one defeat to France.
However, against Portugal, Low got his tactics and personnel spot on. In a crucial game, Germany played some of their best football in recent times. They were dominant all game, and their wing-backs proved too much to handle for the Portuguese defence. The performance of Robin Gosens showed that Joachim Low was right to trust him.
Low, who is stepping down after the tournament, will hope that his team builds on this performance and secures their passage to the next round. He has stepped a lot of criticism over the last few years, but Low could yet go out on a high.
#2 Portugal's overreliance on Cristiano Ronaldo continues
Portugal have been heavily dependent on Cristiano Ronaldo for a while. The Portuguese captain has led his team from the front at Euro 2020, scoring three goals and bagging an assist.
The reigning champions have a talented group of players like Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Jota and Ruben Dias, to name a few. However, it was Ronaldo who often waged a lone battle against Germany.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored three of Portugal's five goals at Euro 2020, including one against Germany. That shows he is still performing at a high level, but Portugal would need their other key players to come to the fore.
The defending champions need a positive result against France to qualify for the next round. So Fernando Santos would hope the other players come to the fore to ensure that the defending champions' campaign doesn't end in the group stage.
#3 Germany produce a vintage performance
Germany came into this game against Portugal under immense pressure. Anything less than three points from this game would have made qualifying for the knockout round at Euro 2020 nearly impossible.
Nevertheless, Germany turned around their indifferent recent form with a vintage performance against the defending champions and dominated Portugal all game. In their opening fixture against France, Germany were passive with their movement and passing. But against Portugal, they played at a high tempo and a lot of intensity. They moved the ball around with intent, and their off-the-ball movement caused all sorts of problems for Portugal.
It was a complete team performance from Germany, and every player seemed to play his role to perfection. Prior to the tournament, no one gave Germany a chance of winning the tournament. But if they can build on this performance, the former European Championship winners could be serious contenders at Euro 2020.
#4 Germany's flying wing-backs wreak havoc against Portugal
The key to Germany's dominance against Portugal was their marauding wing-backs. Both Joshua Kimmich and Robin Gosens put on world-class performances. They caused the Portugal defenders problems with their movements, and the duo also sizzled while defending.
One of the two wing-backs was involved in each of the four goals Germany scored against Portugal. The cross, played by Robin Gosens into the box, was put in by Ruben Dias for Germany's first goal. A few minutes later, Joshua Kimmich's cross deflected off Raphael Guerreiro to give Germany the lead.
Gosens assisted Kai Havertz for Germany's third goal of the game before he converted a pass from Joshua Kimmich for the fourth. Both players looked out of sorts against France while attacking, but they were dangerous every time they pushed forward to join the attack against Portugal.
Joachim Low will hope for more such performances from both players. Germany will need both wing-backs to perform at this level to make a deep run at Euro 2020.
#5 Euro 2020's Group of Death comes alive
Group F was considered the Group of Death, considering the teams that were clubbed in it. After matchday one, it seemed France and Portugal would finish as the top two in the group. However, matchday two has changed the complexion of the group.
Germany looked down and out after their loss against France, but could now top the group if they win against Hungary and France fail to win against Portugal. Earlier in the day, Les Bleus were held to a 1-1 draw by Hungary, who got off the mark at the tournament.
Now with all four teams in contention to reach the Round of 16, Group F is poised for a tantalising finish on matchday three. Portugal will hope their title defence doesn't end on a whimper against France, who will look to get back to winning ways. Meanwhile, Germany, who have come roaring back into contention, will look to continue their good form against Hungary, who eked out a creditable draw against Les Bleus.
