Germany warns there’s more to come after Euro win

Manuel Neuer and Toni Kroos warned Germany will only improve after beating Ukraine 2-0 to make the perfect start to Euro 2016.

Germany’s Bastian Schweinsteiger scores against Ukraine at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Villeneuve-d’Ascq

Germany stars Manuel Neuer and Toni Kroos warned the world champions will only improve after seeing off Ukraine 2-0 in Lille to make the perfect start to their Euro 2016 campaign.

Kroos was named man of the match and goalkeeper Neuer made several key saves as Ukraine threatened to expose a makeshift German defence weakened by injuries to Mats Hummels and Antonio Ruediger before halftime.

However, Shkodran Mustafi’s early header and a first international goal in five years by Bastian Schweinsteiger, deep into stoppage time, gave Joachim Loew’s men a perfect start in their bid to match their success in Brazil two years ago.

“We played well and kept up our good standards in defence,” said Bayern Munich’s Neuer. “We haven’t shown yet everything that we have to show, we will keep improving.”

Kroos’s brilliant cross set up the opener, but he admitted Ukraine were unlucky not to have at least levelled before the break as Neuer’s heroics and a spectacular goalline clearance from Jerome Boateng kept them at bay.

“It is always good for the confidence to win 2-0 and keep and clean sheet,” said Kroos, who shone fresh from winning the Champions League with Real Madrid.

It was a special night for Schweinsteiger, who had only played 23 minutes since tearing a knee ligament in March, but battled back to fitness just in time to make the squad. And he made a huge impact in just three minutes on the field as he sprinted forward to slam home Mesut Ozil’s low cross in the 93rd minute.

Meanwhile, a fan gatecrashed Luka Modric’s celebrations after he scored Croatia’s Group D winner over Turkey with a brilliant volley.

The Real Madrid playmaker performed an equally spectacular knee dive into the corner of the Parc des Princes, where he was joined by teammates but also a fan in a Croatia replica shirt and red and white painted head.

Stewards led the man away after the security breach.

Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik rifled home the only goal in his country’s Group C win over Northern Ireland in Nice — his country’s first ever at a European Championship final.

Coach Adam Nawalka is now looking forward to playing Germany at the Stade de France on June 16 with a spot in the last 16 likely to be at stake.

AFP