Euro 2016 Group C Final Matches a few quick thoughts
Dan Tracey
June 22, 2016
2,133 Views
- World Champions Germany book their place in the Round of 16 after winning Group C
- The result against Northern Ireland suggests somewhat of a slender victory but the 1-0 scoreline doesn’t tell anywhere near the whole story
- Northern Ireland have Michael McGovern to thank for keeping the scoreline somewhat respectable
- It was nothing short of a blitzkrieg in terms of German possession as wave after wave of wave of attack was presented to the Northern Ireland goal
- In all honesty it could have been 4 or 5 nil in the first half an hour
- It was almost as if Michael O’Neill’s side had reverted to type from the win against Ukraine to the cagey performance against Poland in their opening game
- But with Northern Ireland only being able to finish no lower than third then even a defeat was going to be important if they were to finish as one of four best 3rd place sides
- And with McGovern equal to nearly everything that Germany threw at him they now have a very good very chance of reaching the Round of 16
- I saw nearly as it was Mario Gomez who managed to breach the Northern Ireland net at last just before the half hour
- In fairness it was nothing short of what the Germans deserve up until that point
- The key now was not whether or not Michael O’Neill’s side could get back in the game but if they could stay in
- They past the first test which was not conceding anymore before half time
- And it’s fair to say that they game almost fizzled out in the second half
- Germany still created chances but they were not putting Northern Ireland to the sword
- But again that’s not to take anything away from the efforts of McGovern in goal
- Northern Ireland didn’t disgrace themselves but this is now two games out of three were they have been toothless in attack
- But if they get to the Round of 16 then it’s a issue they can address then
- At the final whistle they would then be waiting for other results to go their way
- While in the other game Poland secured second place in Group C and a tie against Switzerland in the first knockout round
- They were just 1 goal away from being dead level with Germany at the top of the group which would have seen the group winners decided by the fair play record due to every other eventuality being even
- They eased past a Ukraine side that go home without a point
- Jakub Blaszczykowski curled in a left-foot shot for the winner after 54 minutes
- Although Robert Lewandowski is still to get off the mark
- If you bet on Lewandowski to be the tournaments Golden Boot it’s looking like money down the drain
- Once again Poland were wasteful in front of goal. A constant theme throughout the three matches
- If they had been more ruthless in front of goal it would have been them topping Group C
- But as it stands it is they who are have to make do with second place
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