Schweinsteiger’s last minute goal from a counter attack sealed the fate of the match.
Advertisement
My injury has healed, I feel good.
Midfielders: Julian Draxler (Wolfsburg), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Lukas Podolski (Galatasaray), Andre Schurrle (Wolfsburg), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Manchester United), Julian Weigl (Dortmund).
“It’s just incredible”, Schweinsteiger said after his side’s Group C victory.
– 34 different players have scored for Germany in the European Championships; at least two more than any other nation.
Shkodran Mustafi’s header set Germany on its way to a win that was sealed by substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger in the second minute of injury time, just two minutes after the midfielder had come on to the pitch.
Germany started the game with ten World Cup winners, with the exception being Jonas Hector.
After conceding the goal, Ukraine players tried their best to level the score.
Ukraine: Andriy Pyatov; Artem Fedetskiy, Yevhen Khacheridi, Yaroslav Rakitskiy, Vyacheslav Shevchuk; Yevhen Konoplyanka, Viktor Kovalenko (Oleksandr Zinchenko, 74), Taras Stepanenko, Serhiy Sydorchuk, Andriy Yarmolenko; Roman Zozulya (Yevhen Seleznyov, 66).
After Mustafi’s goal, he did it again to deny a header by Yevhen Khacherid off a corner kick.
And Schweinsteiger wrapped up the win in injury time, moments after coming off the bench.
“We’re happy for everyone, but good “joker” Basti!”
“I think it was important for him”, Ozil told reporters after the game in Lille.
Neuer said the best was yet to come from Germany. “We will keep improving”. Retired captain Philipp Lahm’s absence would be felt by any team in the world, and today’s match truly showed it. Poland’s Robert Lewandowski and Arkadiusz Milik will have salivated to see the frequent gaps appearing in Germany’s backline, and that will surely be top of Jogi Low’s mind after making it through this first test.
Northern Ireland’s loss was their first in 13 games and they must now get back on track against Ukraine.
Croatia’s Luka Modric, back to camera, and Ivan Strinic, right, celebrate at the end of the Euro 2016 Group D soccer match between Turkey and Croatia at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, June 12, 2016. Ozan Tufan miscued in the 29th to force goalkeeper Danijel Subasic into a stumbling save on his goal line.
Advertisement
Next up for Germany on Thursday (June 16) is Poland, who beat them 2-0 in qualifying for Euro 2016, while Ukraine face Northern Ireland.
