Just like the previous ones, Mario Balotelli once again does not feature.
GK – Petr Cech (Czech Republic)
Played brilliantly against the Portuguese, making various saves to keep the Czech Republic in the game. It’s a shame he saved his best performance of the tournament for the game in which is team lost 1-0, but he has made the team nonetheless.
A rivalry that stems back many years, this was arguably one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament. Already we have witness the passion between two other rival teams, Poland and Russia, so this game was expected to not disappoint any fans, neutrals or Mark Lawrenson. The score ended in a 2-1 win for the Germans, Mario Gomez netted both goals for Germany and Robin Van Persie scoring for Netherlands.
1. Mario Gomez Impresses
That should silence his critics. He was a pest whenever he got the ball in front of the Netherland’s goal and it paid off. His first goal involved not only finding space between the defence, but also swiftly twisting his body to face the goal to slot the ball into the net. His second goal was a beautifully executed shot past the goalkeeper in order to make it 2-0. He was a bit more quiet in the 2nd half, thus unable to become the tournament’s first hat-trick hero as he was replace by Miroslav Klose around the 70 minute mark. Regardless, Gomez has pretty much secured a starting position on the team with that performance
2. Robben’s Antics Sour Game
Moody ol’ bugger, aren’t you?
