As a warm-up for Euro 2012, Germany played Israel in a friendly on Thursday. There was probably some significance behind this match that goes behind the narrow constraints of football and preparation for Euro 2012, but that does not change the fact that this match did very little to help Germany prepare for the tournament. Israel did not do much attacking at all, and Germany comfortably coasted to a 2-0 win.
Germany Vs. Israel: Germany Coast Over Israel, 2-0
The Germans weren’t great with their finishing and Ariel Harush had a solid game in goal for Israel. They spent enough time in the general vicinity of the Israel penalty area to score a dozen times over, but didn’t look terribly interested in doing so for a lot of the game.
Mario Gomez netted the opener after 40 minutes of play, finishing off a very well-worked move. Sami Khedira started off the attack with a through ball into the box for Thomas Müller, who played an impressive one-touch flick into the path of Gomez. The striker's first touch wasn't the best, but he set himself up beautifully with a very good second touch and hit his finish into the roof of the net.
André Schürrle replaced Lukas Podolski in the 66th minute, and from then until the end of the match, he was the best player on the pitch by some distance. He had one laser beam of a shot skillfully saved by Harush shortly after he came on, but he would eventually get the better of the Israeli keeper. In the 82nd minute, he curled a fantastic right-footed shot around Harush's hand from 20 yards out, ensuring Germany's victory.
The only real worry for Germany heading into the Euros is their situation in the center of midfield. Bastian Schweinsteiger was rested Thursday and his fitness is a bit in doubt at the moment. Toni Kroos started the match, but won't cut it in a double pivot against top teams. Lars Bender got a two-minute runout, while Ilkay Gündogan did not play. Schweinsteiger will probably open the Euros in the center next to Sami Khedira, but there's no telling whether or not he'll be the best version of himself.
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