Germany vs. Portugal: Solid Victory Proves Die Mannschaft Is Team to Beat

Spain may enter the 2012 Euro Championship as the defending champs and favorites, but it is Germany that should be viewed as the team to beat.

The Germans were not at all spectacular in 1-0 victory over Portugal in the Euro 2012 opener, but that is exactly what should put the rest of the field on notice. 

Germany spent much of the match slightly off. Their passes were just a touch slow, their crosses weren't finding the right landing spot and their shots were off. 

Then, in the 72nd minute, Sami Khedira booted a cross that was on target, and Mario Gomez's head banged that cross into the net for the game's only goal. 

The Germans looked a little rusty and hesitant on their attack, which is understandable since it is the opening game of the tournament. But despite that, they were able to hold Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal teammates to a shutout. 

This was a solid win for the Germans, and it should only get better from here. 

This is a talented team that has been playing at an incredibly high level. They beat their competition by a combined 27 goals while going 10-0 in their Euro qualifying. This was due to a total team effort. Their defense is physical and stingy. 

That defense was on full display as they kept Ronaldo and company off the scoreboard. What wasn't on as vivid display was the strength of the German attack. This will improve as the tournament rolls on and the Germans look to become more aggressive. 

Mesut Özil was a touch off with his passes. He is integral to setting the table for the attack, and he was not as on point as we can expect him to be going forward. He also has enough weapons in front of him that getting this team into its offense is not a terribly challenging job. 

Germany was not amazing in their opening win, but they won in shutout fashion over a talented team, and that is a bigger testament to their greatness than dominance would have been.