Germany vs. Poland (Tactical report)

This was supposed to be a marquee clash in Group C, but the game failed to live up to the hype as both the teams cancelled each other out leading to a dull draw.

Published : Jun 17, 2016 18:40 IST

This was supposed to be a marquee clash in Group C, but the game failed to live up to the hype as both the teams cancelled each other out leading to a dull draw.

Poland started with a 4-4- 2, making two changes with Lukasz Fabianski replacing the injured Wojciech Szczesny and 19-year-old Kapustka, who was quite impressive in the last game, being replaced by Kamil Grosicki. Germany started with a 4-2-3-1, its only change being the return of Mats Hummels in place of Shkordan Mustafi.

Poland tried to play on the counter, using its pace but failed to trouble Manuel Neuer. Lewandowski, who said he had saved his goals for Germany, worked hard but failed to trouble the defence. The Lewandowski-Boateng battle was won by Boateng, who kept the striker in control and made one important block to stop the Bayern frontman.

Germany, too, was toothless in its attack. It was crisp with its passing but failed to break through the rigid Polish defence. Gotze, who was playing as a false No. 9 was disappointing. Poland had the best opportunity of the game when Milik missed an easy header inside the six-yard box in front of goal (see picture). Otherwise, both the goalkeepers didn’t have much to deal with.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment