Podolski strike enough for Germany

Lukas Podolski's scored the only goal of the game to secure Germany's UEFA European Under-17 Championship quarter-final place as they beat Poland 1-0 in Næstved today.

Podolski the hero
The victory means that Germany finish as Group D winners and face France in the last eight, while Poland are eliminated following Georgia's 2-1 victory over Hungary in the the group's other game in Roskilde. Both sides needed a victory to reach the next stage and Podolski was the hero for Germany as he scored with four minutes remaining to defeat a resilient Polish team. Georgia's win saw them leapfrog Poland into second place and they will now face Switzerland in the last eight.

Bartczak in charge
An even first half saw few clear-cut chances but Germany held the upper hand in terms of possession. Their strikers were frequently caught offside but when they did look dangerous, Polish captain Grzegorz Bartczak was in fine form at the heart of his side's defence. Poland were missing influential midfield player Tomasz Szcepan through suspension, while striker Marcin Tarnowski was injured.

Missed chances
The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with chances few and far between. Polish keeper Lukasz Fabianski was called into action in the 42nd minute, as he gathered Sebastian Westerhoff's close-range effort, before Paul Thomik wasted a good chance to give Germany the lead when he missed the target after a deep cross.

Late winner
With time running out and both sides still looking to claim the three points, Germany took the lead in the 76th minute. Stephan Bork floated over a corner and Podolski, only on as a substitute for four minutes, rose unmarked at the far post to head past a helpless Fabianski. Polish heads dropped immediately after the goal and Germany dominated the remainder of the match but failed to add to their tally.

'Anything was possible'
Germany coach Jörg Daniel was pleased with the result, despite his charges leaving it so late in the day to secure victory. "It was exciting, and a little bit nerve-wracking as well," he said. "It was always likely that 1-0 would win it, and the1-0 loser was going to go out. Anything was possible, as we both missed chances but it was a tough, physical game. No, I don't fatigue was a factor. In any case, it's the same for everybody, as that is the nature of tournament football."

'Technique, technique, and technique'
Andrzej Zamilski, the Poland coach, was philosophical in defeat and has learned some valuable lesson from this year's competition. "Germany were the better team, and they deserved to win," he said. "There are three important things we have learned: technique, technique, and technique. We also need to be better prepared physically, and maybe we could have been tactically more sophisticated. But I have no complaints."