Sharp-shooter Gomez a cut above the rest

Germany striker Mario Gomez gave a masterclass in finishing to fire his side to a 2-1 win against the Netherlands in Group B and lift himself to the top of the Castrol EDGE Index with a mark of 9.43.

The FC Bayern München striker came into this game on a high, after his header earned Germany a 1-0 win in a tight opener against Portugal. Against the Dutch, he picked up where he left off, hitting the target with all three of his strikes, bringing two priceless goals which were responsible for the bulk of his impressive rating.

His magnificently executed first came on 24 minutes. Ghosting into the space between the Dutch centre-backs on the edge of the box, he collected Bastian Schweinsteiger's pass with his left foot, dragging the ball round as he span to face the goal before stroking it into the bottom corner with his right.

Gomez's 38th-minute second was similarly spectacular. Again Schweinsteiger was to thank for sliding him in, but from a tricky angle the finish was an example of individual brilliance, Gomez firing over and beyond Maarten Stekelenburg and into the top-left corner.

Team-mate Holger Badstuber ensured it was a German one-two at the top of the match rankings, the tall centre-back rewarded for possession recovery and for forcing Stekelenburg into a fine save with a header.

Completing the top three – and preventing a German clean sweep in the top five – is Robin van Persie, whose superb goal and two shots on target ensured that in terms of attacking value he was second only to show-stopper Gomez.

Castrol EDGE Index: Netherlands v Germany
1. Mario Gomez (GER) 9.43
2. Holger Badstuber (GER) 9.13
3. Robin van Persie (NED) 9.08
4. Matts Hummels (GER) 9.04
5. Bastian Schweinsteiger (GER) 8.43

Key facts
16 – Wesley Sneijder had created 15 chances in the opening two matches before Robin van Persie eventually converted number 16 against Germany.

2 − Netherlands have lost two group stage matches in a UEFA European Championship for the first time.

13 − Germany have now won all 13 UEFA European Championship games in which they have been two goals up.

6 – From Mario Gomez's six shots of the tournament, he has hit four on target and scored three goals.

8 - After this result, all eight encounters between the Netherlands and Germany at major tournaments have featured a goal for both teams.

Players' view
Mario Gomez: "We had lots of pressure on us, but I tried to give my answers on the pitch. I'm happy that I managed to score two goals and help the team."

Holger Badstuber: "We were ice-cool in front of goal. We were aggressive in the first half and passed the ball around well. There was less of that in the second half, but the intense heat was the main reason for that."