Euro 2016 Group D wide open after Germany defeat by Poland

Arkadiusz Milik and Sebastian Mila wrote their names in Polish football folklore by inflicting Germany’s first-ever defeat to their neighbours and bitter rivals.

Die Mannschaft have a tradition of poaching players from across the border since reunification. Record scorer and leading World Cup finals marksman Miroslav Klose is the most high-profile example, but he could do nothing effect the outcome of this upset. Fellow Polish-born forward Lukas Podolski hit the bar off the bench, so lost in the country of their origin.

Veteran stager Klose joined defensive duo Phillip Lahm and Per Mertesacker in retiring from internationals following Germany’s World Cup win in Brazil. Joachim Low was also without as many as 10 squad regulars, so this was as good a chance as any Poland had to defeat the global kings and take command of Euro 2016 qualifying Group D.

A price of 13/2 with Coral say they will top the pool now, but Germany remain strong odds-on favourites at 1/6 to do that. Detractors of Die Mannschaft will have delighted in their defensive dearth and seeing the brash arrogance of sweeper-keeper Manuel Neuer chastened by a defeat for which the Bayern Munich stopper was certainly culpable.

There is a school of thought, however, that suggests the real losers were Scotland (22/1 to finish top) and the Republic of Ireland (10/1), despite their own very different respective victories over Georgia and Gibraltar.

Gordon Strachan described the 1-0 win against Eastern European opposition at Ibrox as “the best… we’ve had as a football team since I’ve been here.” Edging Georgia 1-0 and missing several other openings does raise some questions marks for Scotland.

The Tartan Army, packed into the home of Glasgow giants Rangers, saw their side, as Strachan put it, “play that type of free-flowing football, with such ease, and break down a good side,” but that profligacy could be a problem.

Strike pairing Steven Fletcher and Steven Naismith take note. They needed to take the ruthlessness of recent respective club performances in the Premier League for Sunderland and Everton over to representing their country.