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Jun 16, 2016 at 8pm UK
 
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Live Commentary: Germany 0-0 Poland - as it happened

:Headline: Live Commentary: Germany 0-0 Poland - as it happened: ID:274935: from db_amp
Relive Sports Mole's live text commentary of the goalless Euro 2016 Group C clash between Germany and Poland at the Stade de France in Paris.

Germany and Poland shared a point on Thursday night as they played out a goalless draw at the Stade de France in Paris at Euro 2016.

Arkadiusz Milik missed two golden opportunities to score for Poland, while the world champions failed to strike despite controlling the majority of the game.

The winner of tonight's game would have secured progression from Group C into the last 16, but both sides will learn their fate in the final round of matches.

Discover how the game unfolded in Sports Mole's updates below.

Evening everyone! Euro 2016 hosts France have already qualified for the last 16 following a late and dramatic win over Albania last night. Germany and Poland are vying for the same feat as both nations are on three points each. Things have been made a bit more interesting as fellow group opponents Northern Ireland just nabbed an historical win - they defeated Ukraine 2-0, marking their first tournament win in 34 years!
The world champions were expected to get off to a strong start, and they did just that on Sunday evening. The first goal of the game was scored by Shkodran Mustafi in the 19th minute and Bastian Schweinsteiger, who had not played since March because of a knee injury, nabbed a 92nd-minute goal to put the game to bed.
As for Poland, they did not have an easy time of it against Northern Ireland, but they got the job done. Arkadiusz Milik was the man to find the back of the net for Poland, not Robert Lewandowski as some may have expected! The goal came early in the second half, and it proved to be enough for Adam Nawalka's side.
Right, before we go any further, let's bring you the lineups for both sides.
GERMANY XI: Neuer; Howedes, Boateng, Hummels, Hector; Kroos, Khedira; Muller, Ozil, Draxler; Gotze
POLAND XI: Fabianski; Piszczek, Glik, Pazdan, Jedrzejczyk; Krychowiak, Maczynski; Blaszczykowski, Grosicki; Milik, Lewandowski
The big news for Germany is that Mats Hummels returns to the centre of defence after shaking off an injury. The bad news for Mustafi, though, is that he gets dropped as a result. The defender will find it harsh considering that he scored in Germany's opener, but he was only in the lineup due to Hummels's injury. Interestingly, Mario Gotze keeps his spot in the attack, despite being largely ineffective against Ukraine.
As for Poland, head coach Adam Nawalka has made two changes to the team that defeated Northern Ireland. One is an enforced change as goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is ruled out with a thigh injury, meaning that Swansea City's Lukasz Fabianski comes into the fray. Bartosz Kapustka is the other change as Kamil Grosicki is preferred. As expected, Milik and Robert Lewandowski lead the line.

Germany are one of the favourites to take home the trophy this summer following their 2014 World Cup triumph in Brazil. Joachim Low's side did not set the world alight when they played Ukraine at the weekend (in fairness, no team has quite done that yet!). They did, though, find the goals that they needed, and they came from Mustafi and substitute Schweinsteiger.
Schweinsteiger was the surprise scorer of the night as the Manchester United midfielder was playing in his first game since suffering a knee injury in March. There have been rumours that new United manager Jose Mourinho is ready to offload the German, but he may change his mind after seeing this goal...

There were some other clips from the game that did the rounds after the final whistle, and they are not very pleasant ones! We've all seen Joachim Low pick his nose in the dugout, but he went a step too far this time! A word of warning: do not watch the video if you are currently eating.

Anyway, enough about Low's touchline antics, what about his side's recent performances? Well, they head into tonight's match on the back of eight wins from their last 10 European Championship fixtures. It's an impressive figure, with the only defeats coming in 2008 against Spain in the final and in the semi-final clash against Italy four years later.
In fact, the Germans have scored in every Euro match since the 2008 final, which puts them in good stead this afternoon. They have a number of individual talents among their ranks, one of which is Thomas Muller, who is a star at World Cups having scored 10 goals and creating six assists in 13 matches in the tournament. However, the Bayern Munich attacker has drawn a blank in his last six European Championship games.
Mesut Ozil can be inconsistent at times, but on the international stage, he seems to thrive. The Arsenal midfielder has produced eight assists in the World Cup and European Championships since 2010, which is more than any other player in the tournaments. Impressive!
The Germans head into this match as favourites, but they will be going up against a prolific striker in Robert Lewandowski. The Poland star has scored 47 Bundesliga goals in 57 starts for Bayern Munich since moving to the Allianz Arena from Borussia Dortmund in 2014, making him the league's top scorer in two of the past three seasons. The 27-year-old has spent his entire career playing in Germany, so he is very familiar with the team's mentality. Also, he plays alongside a handful of Germany's players, including Muller, Jerome Boateng, Mario Gotze and Manuel Neuer.

However, Lewandowski, who has been linked with a summer move to Real Madrid, went missing against Northern Ireland in Poland's opening group game. The nation registered 18 shots on target, but none of them were produced by Lewandowski. So, it will be interesting to see whether he gets better opportunities in front of goal and whether he has the quality to beat Neuer.
It could become a case of Milik becoming the star man for Poland as he scored five goals in the qualifying campaign, as well as the one and only goal for his nation in the finals. Statistically, Poland struggle for consistency in the European Championships as they have never secured back-to-back wins at this level.
They have also never scored more than one goal in a single game at this tournament! Surely, Lewandowski will have something to say about that?! Although, if his performance doesn't improve from the first game, then that statistic may continue. The Bayern forward does do well against Germany, though, as he has found the back of the net in two of his three games against the nation.
HEAD TO HEAD: As you may have thought, Germany have the better record in the head-to-head stats as they were unbeaten in 18 matches against Poland until October 2014. Low's men were beaten 2-0 in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign in Warsaw as Milik and Sebastian Mila got on the scoresheet.
Germany were able to respond, though, as they welcomed Poland to Frankfurt with a 3-1 triumph. With regards to major tournaments, Germany are on an unbeaten four-game run against the Poles, and they didn't concede at all during those fixtures. In fact, in the last 12 meetings between the pair, Poland have not scored in eight of them.
Want to get the managers' thoughts on this game? Of course you do! Both Low and Nawalka spoke to reporters earlier this week.

Joachim Low: "Poland are well organised, that's their biggest strength. They wait, they counterattack. That's their game, quick transitions. They are even better than Ukraine in that sense, because they are more flexible. They are one of the best counterattacking teams I have seen over the past two years.

"All five matches I have had against Poland were difficult. I expect we will have more of the ball as the Polish players like to drop deep. It is important to have small, nimble players up front."

Adam Nawalka: "Winning against Germany in the EURO qualifiers was a really important moment for the development of this team. But with our good players, such important wins would have come around sooner or later.

"We believe in ourselves but we face one of the best teams in the world so it is going to be very, very difficult. Every game here is a special day for us. We are proud we are here representing Poland."

The players are out, the national anthems are blaring around the Stade de France and we are almost ready to get underway in front of this lively crowd!
KICKOFF! Germany get us underway! Remember, the winner (if there is one) of tonight's match will join France in the last 16.
Germany have an early spell of possession as they try to find their feet in this game. They're looking to threat a way through, but Poland look compact at the moment.
BOOKING! It's a very early booking for Khedira, but he can't have too many complaints as he brought down Maczynski, who was trying to lead the counter-attack.
CHANCE! Draxler finds space down the left-hand side before curling the ball into the box to find Gotze, who heads towards goal, but his attempt does behind the crossbar.
Germany have started well here! Draxler squares the ball towards Hector, who edges closer to the corner of the box before letting a shot fly, aiming for the far post, but the ball drifts wide.
Some good work from Muller as he drops back to nick the ball before Poland can break. Poland are known for being compact and they have set up well, but the Germans are matching them.
From the right-hand side Kroos sends a high ball across to Howedes, who has plenty of space, but it's a poor header as the ball bounces to Fabianski.
Erm, what was that Khedira? Ozil gets the ball and Poland players swarm around him, but the Arsenal man manages to stab the ball back to Khedira, who goes for goal from 25 yards out. He completely mis-hits it, though, and the ball flies well wide.
Poland have seen very little of the ball so far. They're pretty much camped in their own half, giving Germany plenty of time on the ball. The world champions, though, have yet to really test Fabianski.
Lewandowski shows some pace as he storms down the right, with just Hummels tracking him. The Poland captain cuts inside and tries to play in a teammate, but he sends the ball straight to Boateng.
Germany win the first corner of the game, but it's comfortably cleared by the men in red shirts.
CHANCE! Muller shows great strength as he shakes off his marker and dips into the box before laying the ball off to Kroos, who charges into the area, but slips as he takes the shot, but he cannot stretch enough to get a decent touch and the ball misses the target from 15 yards out.
Poland have a rare attack as Grosicki gets the ball down the left. He gets to the byline and looks to cross, but he ends up kicking the ball behind for a goal kick.
Lazy from Hummels as he gives the ball away close to the edge of the box. Milik latches on, but Khedira is right behind him and manages to nick the ball back before Poland can cause any danger.
A nice ball from Milik as he plays it forward for Lewandowski on the edge of the box. The Bayern Munich man goes for glory, but Howedes gets a crucial block in. Seconds later, Grosicki gets the ball to the byline and plays it back for Milik, whose shot is blocked by Hummels. Better from Poland.
Hector gets the ball down the left and cuts it back to Ozil on the edge of the area, but Poland's defenders close him down before he can get a shot away and it forces him to knock it back to midfield.
Lewandowski slips the ball through to Milik, who tries a first-time cross close to the byline, but Hummels is there to knock the ball out for a throw-in.
A mistake in the middle of the park allows Ozil to pick up the ball. Muller collects and tries to cross, but he's instantly blocked.
At the other end, Blaszczykowski breaks away to zip a cross into the box, and wins a corner in the process. It's played short to Piszczek, who crosses high into the area, but it's headed clear by Germany.
Khedira as drops to the ground following a slight challenge from Maczynski. It looks worrying at first as he clutches his ankle, but he manages to get to his feet, and it appears as though he's going to try to shake it off.
Boateng sends the ball over the top for Draxler, who manages to hook it back into the danger area, but Muller cannot get on the end of it and Poland clear.
It's not been the prettiest game to watch so far. Germany have had the majority of possession and are trying to find a way through, but Poland look comfortable.
BOOKING! Ozil is the second German player to receive a yellow card. He's penalised for grabbing Krychowiak's arm, but there's minimal contact. A harsh one from the referee.
At the moment, Germany are getting plenty of time around the box as they try to work it through, but Poland are packing themselves in tightly. Anytime the ball comes out to the defenders, Lewandowski and co press.
Khedira plays the ball forward for Muller, who lays off Gotze for the shot. The 23-year-old just hits the post with his attempt, but it wouldn't have counted has it gone in anyway as Muller was offside.
Close! Lewandowski is almost played through on goal there! Milik is the man responsible for the pass, but his teammate takes a step offside and the flag is raised.
Germany continue to probe, but it's not happening for them right now. The ball is loose in the air and as it drops to Khedira, he takes a touch before hammering a shot, but his effort goes well wide.
BOOKING! Maczynski is penalised for a foul on Muller, and that is the last bit of action in the first half.
HALF-TIME: GERMANY 0-0 POLAND
It's goalless at the break in the Stade de France and neither goalkeeper have had much to do! Germany have had the majority of possession, but their attempts to produce a goal from working it around the box have come to nothing so far. Poland are very compact in defence and look comfortable playing on the break. Hopefully there will be some goals in the second half! We'll return shortly.
RESTART! Poland get the second half underway! Are we destined for a stalemate or will one of these teams step up to claim all three points? Let's find out!
MISS! Oh dear, what a miss from Milik! Poland squander the chance to get a goal in the first few seconds of the restart. Grosicki does well to turn on the edge of the box before curling the ball towards Milik, who just needs to nudge it into the goal with his foot, but he drops down for a header and fails to get a decisive touch. Should have scored!
CHANCE! At the other end, Kroos sends a perfectly-weighted low pass to Gotze in the box, but the attacker's shot goes straight to Fabianksi.
Well, we have a much livelier game on our hands! Both sides have come out of the dressing rooms with attacking intent. Hopefully we'll see some goals as a result.
The ball is slipped through to Milik and it's three on three, but Hummels does well to nick the ball back with a sliding tackle on the edge of the box.
Hector fizzes the ball across to Muller, who is poised to tap the ball into the net, but Pazdan does well to intercept the ball. Some good defending from both sides in these last few minutes.
BOOKING! Grosicki is the first Poland player to receive a yellow card. The midfielder pulls on Draxler's shirt to prevent the German from leading a counter-attack.
Poland are awarded a free kick in a dangerous area on the edge of the box. It's Muller who's penalised as he brings down Krychowiak. It looks like Lewandowski will take this one...
CHANCE! It's one straight from the training ground as Lewandowski runs up to take it, but instead knocks it a yard to the left for Milik, who runs up and shoots inches wide.
Great challenge from Boateng! Lewandowski receives the ball in plenty of space. He turns and looks to aim at goal, but Boateng tracks back and makes a crucial tackle to deny his club teammate.
Lewandowski is definitely getting to know his new teammate Hummels! The Poland striker hits the ball on the edge of his left foot before turning and running at it, but Hummels tracks him all the way and ends up knocking the ball back to his keeper.
Kroos goes for glory as he shoots from 20 yards out from a central position, but the ball keeps rising and goes over the bar.
GERMANY SUB: Low makes his first change of the match, and as expected, Gotze makes way, but instead of bringing on Gomes, the German boss has opted to play Schurrle.
BOOKING! Boateng picks up a yellow card for clattering into Milik in Poland's half.
WHAT A MISS! Dear oh dear, Milik squanders another chance! He does well with an initial dummy, but when he gets the ball back he completely misses and ends up kicking the air!
SAVE! Ozil is denied by Fabianski! Germany immediately get the ball up the other end of the pitch and it's Ozil who tries to sweep the ball into the net with his left foot, but the keeper pushes the ball over the bar with his right hand.
GERMANY SUB: Here he comes! Gomes come on to replace Draxler.
Germany get a corner and it's whipped in by Kroos. The ball bounces awkwardly in the box, but Poland manage to clear the danger.
POLAND SUB: It's a chance for Poland as Maczynski makes way for Jodlowiec.
Gomes sends the ball into the centre of the box from the byline. It bounces off a Poland player and into the feet of Muller, who strikes, but he cannot keep it down and his shot flies over the bar.
POLAND SUB: Another change for Poland as Kapustka replaces Blaszcykowski. Will there be a winner tonight?
Gomez screams for the ball in the middle, but Howedes's cross is poor and the ball bobbles out for a goal kick. There's a slight lull in the game and it's difficult to see where a goal will come from.
Muller releases Howedes with a reverse ball. The defender takes the ball into the box, but he overruns it slightly and Pazdan tackles to clear the danger.
POLAND SUB: It's the final change for Poland as Peszko makes way for Grosicki.
Poland get a free kick on the left side of the final third. It's delivered into the far post by Milik, but it doesn't get past first man. Germany eventually get a free kick following a foul in the area.
The fourth official indicates that there will be three minutes of added time. Will there be a late winner?! It doesn't look likely at the moment.
Schurrle whips the ball into the box to find Muller, who tries a scissor kick, but he does not get a good enough touch on the ball and the chance goes missing.
A silly challenge from Peszko as he needlessly smashes into Ozil in a dangerous area. Roos takes the free kick. He whips it into the box, but Fabianski punches it away.
FULL-TIME: GERMANY 0-0 POLAND
So, nobody will secure a last-16 spot tonight! The winner would have earned a place in the final eight, but Germany and Poland played out a goalless draw at the Stade de France. Milik had two golden opportunities to find the back of the net, but he squandered them. Germany remain top of Group C on four points, while Poland are second on level points. That's all from us tonight. Thank you for joining us, and until next time, goodbye!
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