Euro 2016: Germany 2-0 Ukraine - 5 talking points

Bastian Schweinsteiger
Bastian Schweinsteiger celebrates his goal with the team

2) Ukraine dangerous on the counter attack

Yevhen Konoplyanka
Yevhen Konoplyanka was a threat for Ukraine all night long

For much of the match, it was clear that if Ukraine were going to rattle the back of the net, it was going to come about as a result of a punchy, well-executed counter attack.

It has been stated by many a football analyst and figure in recent times that teams who counter could enjoy immense success in France this summer, and Ukraine certainly did their best to prove that theory right.

With Yevhen Konoplyanka and Andriy Yarmolenko pulling the strings, they teased a number of chances and before long had a goal ruled offside as well as an effort cleared off the line from the alert Jerome Boateng.

Snappily moving the ball from defence to attack, they made Germany sweat, particularly in the first half as well as in the final 10 minutes of the second. In truth, they were unlucky not to score from some of their in vogue initiatives.

Ironically, as it transpired, it was a German breakaway which sealed their fate in the closing moments.

However, the team who are only featuring in their second European Championship ever certainly have what it takes to cause others trouble moving forward - all they need to do is to find the finishing touches to some of their cut-throat moves, because this particular match could have been an even closer run contest than the scoreline suggested.

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