World Champions Germany were left frustrated as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Poland in Saint-Denis. The match was the first goalless draw of the tournament, and still leaves group C wide open.
Both sides had opportunities to win the game, but neither were prolific enough in front of goal.
Both teams went into the game on the back of impressive victories, with Poland beating Northern Ireland, and the Germans easing past Ukraine.
Joachim Low made just one change to his side from the opening game, with new Bayern Munich defender Mats Hummels coming in for Shkodran Mustafi. Poland made two changes, with Lukas Fabianski and Kamil Grosicki, starting ahead of Wojciech Szczesny and Bartosz Kapustka.
Germany started the better of the two teams, dominating possession in the opening minutes, however their first real attempt on goal came when Thomas Muller retrieved the ball and skillfully made his way into the box, to lay off a pass to Toni Kroos who shot wide.
That was the best chance in a rather flat first half.
The second half started much better than the first, and Poland could have taken the lead within the first minute. A cross into the box from Kamil Grosicki was set on a plate for Arkadiusz Milik, who failed to get any sort of connection on the ball.
Germany replied instantly with a counter attack that left Mario Gotze free to get a shot off that stung the palms of Lukas Fabianski.
Milik once again had an opportunity to put Poland ahead in the game, when a ball into the box fell to him. However the forward failed to connect with the ball once again.
Germany applied more pressure on the Polish defence in the final minutes of the game, but could not find a way through, leaving Poland the happier of the two sides at the final whistle.
Earlier in the day, Northern Ireland made history by securing their first win in the European Championships, beating Ukraine 2-0.
Michael O'Neill's side took the lead early in the second half, when a free-kick expertly delivered by Oliver Norwood was met by Gareth McAuley, who nodded the ball into the net to send the Irish fans into raptures.
Play had to be stopped briefly because of worsening weather conditions, but nothing could dampen the spirits of the Northern Ireland fans who were having the time of their lives.
Ukraine continued to pressure the Irish defence, knowing that defeat would almost certainly see them eliminated from the competition. But victory was assured in the final minute of injury time when Aberdeen forward Niall McGinn pounced on a rebounded shot, to secure a famous win.
Via: http://goal360.xyz/germany-held-to-0-0-draw-against-poland-as-northern-ireland-secure-2-0-win.goal
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