AP, Lille :
Bastian Schweinsteiger marked his return from injury by sealing a 2-0 win for Germany over Ukraine in the world champions’ opening game at Euro 2016 on Sunday.
“A Bastian Schweinsteiger is worth his weight in gold,” Germany coach Joachim Loew said.
Schweinsteiger, who suffered his second serious knee injury of the year in training on March 22 and hadn’t played since, came on in the last minute. He scored in the second minute of injury time when Mesut Ozil crossed for him to rifle in a volley on a counterattack.
“My injury was healed, I feel very good. After the sprint forward, I was a bit out of breath … Incredible that something like this can happen, you can only wish for it,” Schweinsteiger said. “I’ve now played five minutes, I’m not yet so far that I can play for 90 or 120… I hope that I can now play a bit more.”
Shkodran Mustafi’s header put Germany on course in the 19th minute of the Group C encounter, when the Valencia defender beat his marker to meet Toni Kroos’ curling free kick from the right and head with power inside the left post.
“We are not yet there where we need to be to win the tournament, but we are on our way,” said Kroos, who earned the man-of-the-match award for pulling the strings in midfield and helping in defense when needed.
Loew started with 10 of the players that won the World Cup in Brazil two years ago. The 26-year-old left back Jonas Hector, playing in his first major tournament, was the only exception.
Despite dominating possession and creating the early chances, Germany needed Manuel Neuer to make two big saves in the first half and another in the second.
First he stopped Yevhen Konoplyanka, and then Yevhen Khacheridi from close range before Jerome Boateng cleared Konoplyanka’s effort off the line.
“I was lucky I have long legs,” the defender joked of his acrobatic clearance.
Ukraine finished the first half strongly with Andriy Yarmolenko having a goal rightly ruled out for offside.
But Germany heeded the warning and re-took control after the break, with Julian Draxler (twice), Kroos, Sami Khedira, Thomas Mueller, substitute Andre Schuerrle and then Ozil all going close.
Ukraine’s Andriy Pyatov was the busier of the two goalkeepers, though Neuer needed to be alert to stop Yaroslav Rakitskiy’s fierce free kick at his near post in the second half.
Mustafi almost gifted Ukraine an equalizer late on when he headed the ball back without realizing that Neuer was out of his goal.
But there was still time for Schweinsteiger to come on and complete a dream return after a season wracked by injury.
Bastian Schweinsteiger marked his return from injury by sealing a 2-0 win for Germany over Ukraine in the world champions’ opening game at Euro 2016 on Sunday.
“A Bastian Schweinsteiger is worth his weight in gold,” Germany coach Joachim Loew said.
Schweinsteiger, who suffered his second serious knee injury of the year in training on March 22 and hadn’t played since, came on in the last minute. He scored in the second minute of injury time when Mesut Ozil crossed for him to rifle in a volley on a counterattack.
“My injury was healed, I feel very good. After the sprint forward, I was a bit out of breath … Incredible that something like this can happen, you can only wish for it,” Schweinsteiger said. “I’ve now played five minutes, I’m not yet so far that I can play for 90 or 120… I hope that I can now play a bit more.”
Shkodran Mustafi’s header put Germany on course in the 19th minute of the Group C encounter, when the Valencia defender beat his marker to meet Toni Kroos’ curling free kick from the right and head with power inside the left post.
“We are not yet there where we need to be to win the tournament, but we are on our way,” said Kroos, who earned the man-of-the-match award for pulling the strings in midfield and helping in defense when needed.
Loew started with 10 of the players that won the World Cup in Brazil two years ago. The 26-year-old left back Jonas Hector, playing in his first major tournament, was the only exception.
Despite dominating possession and creating the early chances, Germany needed Manuel Neuer to make two big saves in the first half and another in the second.
First he stopped Yevhen Konoplyanka, and then Yevhen Khacheridi from close range before Jerome Boateng cleared Konoplyanka’s effort off the line.
“I was lucky I have long legs,” the defender joked of his acrobatic clearance.
Ukraine finished the first half strongly with Andriy Yarmolenko having a goal rightly ruled out for offside.
But Germany heeded the warning and re-took control after the break, with Julian Draxler (twice), Kroos, Sami Khedira, Thomas Mueller, substitute Andre Schuerrle and then Ozil all going close.
Ukraine’s Andriy Pyatov was the busier of the two goalkeepers, though Neuer needed to be alert to stop Yaroslav Rakitskiy’s fierce free kick at his near post in the second half.
Mustafi almost gifted Ukraine an equalizer late on when he headed the ball back without realizing that Neuer was out of his goal.
But there was still time for Schweinsteiger to come on and complete a dream return after a season wracked by injury.
