Germany 1-0 Poland

Germany battled and battled away to finally score a dramatic goal in stoppage time to beat Poland 1-0. Poland can hold their head up high despite this loss as they gave everything they had and really fustrated the Germans with their resoulute defending.

Oliver Neuville (an old guard) latched on to a low cross from fellow substitute David Odonkor to slide the winner past keeper Artur Boruc as the game reached the 92nd minute.

Soccer Pundit feels that it is a waste that Poland is going out. This was a game with raised stakes as Germany needed the points for a secure passage into the last 16 while Poland also needed a win to avoid early departure.

The fighting spirit of the Germans was particularly impressive as they kept the pressure on the Poles and refuse to give up the search for goal until the final whistle. Defence wise, they may not be as efficient as their predecessors but this team holds the same key characteristics which made Germany such a feared opponent, i.e the mental strength and winner's mentality.