Georgia vs. Germany: Score, Grades and Reaction from Euro 2016 Qualifier

Germany ran out as 2-0 winners over Georgia on Sunday in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, drawing level on points with Scotland and Poland at the head of Group D.

Poland face the Republic of Ireland later on Sunday in a bid to move clear of Joachim Low's side once more, but the Germany national team's official Twitter account confirmed their latest three-point haul this weekend:

Georgia came into Sunday's matchup after suffering a 4-0 home defeat to Poland in November and were always going to be seen as underdogs against the reigning world champions.

However, Low's men found it difficult to make good on an early spout of pressure, after which Bundesliga writer Jonathan Harding noted the need not to panic and rush matters:

Calm under pressure is exactly the approach Germany employed, and it paid off in the build-up to half-time, as Marco Reus and Thomas Muller scored two in five minutes for the visitors.

As the World Cup title holders, Germany have an expectation upon them to dispatch teams like Georgia with relative ease, and Bleacher Report's Cristian Nyari praised Low's stars once they found their rhythm:

The Georgians proved a stubborn foe to break down initially, defending in great numbers in a bid to suffocate their opponents, but the quality of Germany eventually carved out a cushion.

With a 2-0 lead to their name at the break, the Germans knew their second-half display would be far more routine, where possession and ball retention would take over as the priority:

That being said, Low may have looked to see a more ruthless attacking edge from his team, considering the Poles have scored 15 goals already in qualifying.

Building on their lead in Tbilisi proved difficult, though, and frustrations started to tell, as Reus found fortune wouldn't come his way in particular:

Germany swiftly dealt with any probing movements made by Georgia, and a midfield combination of Toni Kroos and Bastian Schweinsteiger looked assured in maintaining control over the tie.

On the rare occasions the hosts did manage to cut out chances, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels were there to deal with it, earning Nyari's praise as Low's standout selection in the heart of defence:

In the end, the second half ran out as something of a missed opportunity for Germany to close the goal-difference gap on Poland, finishing 2-0.

Low will nonetheless be content with another three points for his side, taking them joint-top at the summit of Group D, hoping the Republic of Ireland can take points from Poland on Sunday evening.

Shakh Aivazov/Associated Press

Germany now have a three-month wait until their next qualifying fixture and will visit Gibraltar in June, another chance to get goals on the scoresheet in greater number than they did this weekend.

Georgia, on the other hand, still have just three points to their name, the team's only victory thus far in the qualifying campaign coming against Gibraltar.

Player Grades

Marco Reus: A

Frank Augstein/Associated Press

The Borussia Dortmund man may not have been present for the World Cup celebrations, but Reus is back to showing just what a crucial member of Low's setup he can be.

Ever looking to cause a panic among opposing defenders, he opened the scoring through scrappy means on Sunday, with Squawka illustrating what a prolific figure he's becoming for the national team:

A couple of attempts glancing the upright meant Reus was unfortunate not to finish his day with more goals to his name, but he had an impressive outing where ingenuity was sometimes hard to come by.

Kakhi Makharadze: D+

Kakhi Makharadze was the man lumped with the unenviable task of attempting to quell Germany's midfield creativity, a pursuit which didn't go well where possession was difficult to come by.

With a five-man defence providing some cushion, the deep-lying midfielder struggled to contend against his Germany counterparts and was ultimately overwhelmed in the engine room, coming off after 63 minutes.

Post-Match Reaction

Shakh Aivazov/Associated Press

Following the result, Germany manager Joachim Low made sure to note that this was a must-win matchup for his side, telling the German Football Association's official website, "If you looked at the table ahead of the game you would have seen that we had to win today. I was happy with how we played in the first half. We combined well and looked dangerous. After the break we were a bit sloppy and made a few mistakes. Georgia stayed deep and made it difficult for us."

Georgia boss Kakhaber Tskhadadze couldn't be as upbeat in the wake of his team's latest defeat, noting Sunday's hosts require more self-belief if they're to advance.

"Our main issue was that we didn't win the ball back quickly enough when we lost it," Tskhadadze said. "We have potential but we need to keep working to make sure we reach it. The players need to believe in themselves. We improved after the break but we still need to have more confidence in ourselves."

While Germany may rue not being able to mount a more cutthroat assault on their opponents, they can be glad at another display of which they were always in control.

Speaking after the victory, Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger said, "We kept a clean sheet, which was our aim. It was difficult to find space against them. We made a few mistakes in their half but we won the game anyway. We need to improve and will now concentrate on the games against Gibraltar and Scotland."