EURO 2016 Qualifiers: Defeating Poland, Germany takes top spot in Group D

It is not an exaggeration to say that this was Germany’s best match in the EURO 2016 qualifying journey. Coach Joachim Loew’s players should have scored more than 3 goals after a series of opportunities created. That was the result of a very flexible and diverse attacking style. And importantly, the accuracy in the final touches of the Germans almost reached the “realm” that helped them win the 2014 World Cup.

If we had to pick one individual who was Germany's standout performer, it would be Mario Goetze. The 23-year-old scored twice in an impressive 3-1 win.

Goetze may have struggled at Bayern Munich but he has been at his best every time he has worn the shirt of Die Mannschaft. In the most recent match against the USA in June, Goetze scored the only goal for Germany (a 1-2 loss). And last night, the Bayern striker was full of excitement with a breakthrough and a classy finish to make it 2-0 (19 minutes). At the end of the match, Goetze sealed the score at 3-1 with a lightning-fast rebound after the opposing goalkeeper failed to block Thomas Mueller's shot.

In fact, coach Joachim Loew can be satisfied with any of his players. Even Manuel Neuer, despite a careless tackle with his foot, made up for it with a series of impressive saves. Veteran Bastian Schweinsteiger left behind his lackluster performance at MU to become a familiar leader in the midfield of the German team. The experienced trio of Schweinsteiger, Oezil and Kroos helped the home team control the game and make sharp attacks. Up front, Bellarabi and Goetze brought about a breakthrough while Mueller was a constant threat to the Polish defense.

One notable discovery for Germany is left-back Jonas Hector. The Cologne player had an explosive day on the left flank, playing very well with Oezil and Bellarabi. In Germany's opening goal in the 12th minute, Hector had a rhythmic one-two with Bellarabi before setting up Mueller to put the ball into an empty net.

The German victory was less than perfect due to some defensive lapses. Especially in the second half, when Poland put considerable pressure on the home side. Lewandowski punished the German defence with a diving header to reduce the deficit to 1-2, after a quick counter-attack. However, the final result was 3-1 in Germany's favor thanks to Goetze's 82nd-minute goal.

Defeating Poland 3-1, Germany surpassed their neighboring opponent to take the lead in Group D with 16 points. Meanwhile, Poland stood still with 14 points. Elsewhere in Group D, Scotland lost 0-1 in their away match to Georgia.

According to Bongdaplus