PARIS: Old rivals Germany and Poland face off in a battle to top Group C at Euro 2016 at the Stade de France in Paris on Thursday. Here are five big encounters between the two over the past 42 years.
Germany 1 Poland 0, World Cup 1974
Arguably the best Poland team of all-time missed out on the World Cup final despite winning five of their six group games in Germany. Poland eliminated England in qualifying and in Grzegorz Lato had the top scorer in the competition, but German legend Gerd "Der Bomber" Mueller scored the only goal for the hosts, who went onto win the World Cup for a second time.
Germany 0 Poland 0, World Cup 1978
A stalemate followed in Argentina four years later with Poland earning some measure of revenge by topping the initial Group. However, both sides were ultimately eliminated in a second group stage.
Germany 1 Poland 0, World Cup 2006
Germany approached a second World Cup on home soil with much more trepidation, yet Jurgen Klinsmann's young side thrilled a nation despite low expectations after their campaign was kickstarted by Oliver Neuville's stoppage time winner in Dortmund to send the Poles packing at the Group Stage.
Germany 2 Poland 0, Euro 2008
Another major championship meeting between the two and more German success as they comfortably won their Group B opener in Klagenfurt. The result was even more painful for Poland as it was Polish-born Lukas Podolski who scored both German goals.
"This victory doesn't over-enthuse me," Podolski, son of a former Polish international handball player, said after barely celebrating his goals.
"All my family are still in Poland and I have two hearts, a Polish one and a German one."
Poland 2 Germany 0, Euro 2016 qualifying
After 18 attempts over 81 years, Poland finally beat the newly crowned world champions for the first time in November 2014.
A 60,000 capacity crowd in Warsaw went wild as second-half goals from Ajax striker Arkadiusz Milik and Sebastian Mila sealed a victory which put them on course to reach a third consecutive Euros.
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