Alemania

defeated

Ireland

by the minimum difference

and secured the first place

in Group C of the

Euro 2016

.

Now they will face

the best third ranked team

in the group stage of the tournament.

The lone goal in the 30th minute of the first half by forward Mario Gomez gave Germany the victory against Ireland at Parc des Princes in Paris in the closing match of Group C of the Euro 2016.

Germany demonstrated their superiority on the field at Parc des Princes against the modest Northern Ireland who only had possession of the ball 29% of the time and had one shot on target, a long-range effort by Jamie Ward in the middle of the first half.

The rest of the match was a monologue by Germany.

The team of Joachim Löw dominated the game and had the most chances (29 shots),

but their forwards Mario Götze, Thomas Müller, and Gomez themselves wasted countless opportunities to extend the lead.

In the end, Germany seemed tired from attacking without reward

and decided to keep possession of the ball

against an exhausted Northern Ireland team

in the final stretch.

With this result, combined with Poland's 1-0 victory over Ukraine in the other match of the group,

Germany finishes as the leader with 7 points, the same as Poland

who have a worse goal difference,

while Northern Ireland has 3 points and will have to wait to see if they qualify as one of the best third-placed teams

to the round of 16 of the Euro 2016.

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Confirmed line-ups:

Germany: Neuer, Hector, Hummels, Boateng, Kimmich; Kroos, Khedira, Götze, Müller, Özil; Gomez

Ireland: McGovern; Hughes, McAuley, Cathcart, J. Evans; Ward, C. Evans, S. Davis, Norwood, Dallas; Washington

PREVIEW

After two matchdays, Germany and Poland lead with four points, followed by Northern Ireland with three points and Ukraine, already eliminated, with nothing.

This unexpected scenario after two rounds,

following the goalless draw between Germany and Poland at Stade de France,

combined with Northern Ireland's surprising 2-0 victory against Ukraine,

indicates that all the teams still alive can finish in first place

and even qualify as one of the top four third-placed teams from the six groups,

although that would complicate the path to the final on July 10th,

especially for Joachim Low's side who are aiming for a title they last won in 1996.

The Germans, who currently have a goal difference of +2 compared to Poland's +1,

do not have their destiny fully in their hands,

as a significant victory for Robert Lewandowski's team against eliminated Ukraine,

whom they face on Tuesday in Marseille,

could take away the top spot that would leave them with a third-placed team as their round of 16 opponent.

The group C runner-up will face Switzerland in the round of 16,

but would eventually inherit the Red Machine, the champions in 2008 and 2012, in the quarterfinals.

But in addition, the team of 'Jogi' must address an issue from the start: their lack of goals,

which has earned them numerous criticisms from the specialized press

and even from old glories like former captain Michael Ballack.

Lafferty on the bench?

"Playing in these types of tournaments is difficult,

we can't overpower all the opponents in every match,"

said general manager Oliver Bierhoff.

The numbers bring a lot of calmness to the Mannschaft.

They have won all their third matches, whether in the World Cup or the European Championship,

since Low has been in charge of the national team.

And against the Northern Irish, the statistics are heavily in their favor:

8 wins, four draws, and two defeats, the last one more than 30 years ago.

"We are going to win and finish first," Low promised,

words that were almost repeated by forward Mario Gotze afterwards,

who has been the target of criticism for his lack of impact in the opponent's area.

"It's not going to be a walk in the park, we know that.

I don't expect an offensive festival.

We have to be realistic because Northern Ireland will mainly defend,"

predicted forward Thomas Müller, who has yet to score in European Championships despite being prolific in the World Cup.

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill could field the same team,

but that would mean leaving their star Kyle Lafferty,

who was a hero during the qualifiers with seven goals, on the bench.

"None of the guys who played (against Ukraine) deserve to be dropped,"

admitted the 28-year-old Norwich striker,

who hopes to come on and spoil Germany's day

and give his team a historic qualification to the round of 16.

Possible line-ups:

Northern Ireland: McGovern - A. Hughes, McAuley, Cathcart, Evans - Evans, Norwood, Davis (c) - Ward, Washington, Dallas. Coach: Michael O'Neill

Germany: Neuer (c) - Höwedes, Hummels, Boateng, Hector - Khedira, Kroos - Müller, Özil, Schürrle - Götze. Coach: Joachim Löw

AFP