EURO 2016 Qualifying: German Misfortune Hands Poland a First

By Aydin Reyhan on October 11, 2014

Germany fell 2-0 in Poland in a EURO 2016 Qualifying encounter. This was the first ever victory for the hosts over the world champions at the senior international level. The men that will go down in history are Arkadiusz Milik and Sebastian Mila, as they scored in the second half to decide the matter.

Poland lined up in a 4-4-2, allowing Robert Lewandowski to team up with Milik up top to really put pressure on the German back four. The visitors played in their usual 4-2-3-1 and they did create a plethora of chances, but they were ironically caught out on the counter twice, as this setup usually works well offensively on the break.

Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny was the hero of the night as he made save after save to deny the German onslaught. Torino FC defender, Kamil Glik, intercepted, dispossessed and halted so much danger that he has to be voted the best defender of the game. If it were not for these two, Poland could have lost big time.

Even though there were two strikers, Lewandowski was left isolated at times on the counter or the build-up, which is why they created so rarely. Maybe switching to a 4-1-2-1-2 could have given Poland more possession and better opportunities in the final third, as scoring more than once is exactly how to defeat Germany, hence today’s result.

Now, Germany need to bounce back with their home game against the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday. If they win that one, they will be right back on track to win the group.