of few chances and all round defensive solidity, Germany and Poland remained tied at the top of Group C on four points after their 0-0 draw on Thursday.
Joachim Low made one change to his team, with Mats Hummels returning to Die Mannschaft’s starting 11 in place of Shkodran Mustafi.
But it was up front that was once again the problem for Germany, with Mario Gotze failing to pull up any trees once again and calls for Mario Gomez to play against Northern Ireland on June 21.
The Bayern Munich midfield had arguably the best opportunity of the first half, as Julian Draxler’s cross from the left after four minutes was headed over by the 24-year-old.
The White and Reds, meanwhile, set-up how Low expected before the encounter and soaked up most of the pressure posed by the Germans.
Some good defending saw Arkadiusz Milik’s shot blocked with a quarter of the game gone and, apart from the odd half chances, the two teams headed to the dressing room all square at the Stade de France.
The second half began at a fast pace as Milik was once again left holding his head in disbelief.
Kamil Grosicki’s first-time cross from the right was put on a plate for the Ajax striker who, with the goal at his mercy, somehow managed to misjudge his header and the ball dribbled agonisingly past Manuel Neuer’s goal.
Jerome Boateng then had to save Germany’s blushes as his last-ditch tackle stopped Robert Lewandowski racing clear on goal with 59 minutes played.
That early high tempo, however, soon petered out – an air shot from Milik and Mesut Ozil’s well-saved shot from Lukasz Fabianski the only notable action in the closing stages.
A goal failed to materialise for either team and although they both still hold a strong position in Group C, Germany and Poland require strong results in their final group games to reach the round of 16.
Nawalka can leave Saint-Denis with plenty of positives against the reigning world champions, whilst Low has finally been faced with serious questions for Die Mannschaft as they continue their pursuit of back-to-back titles.
– Fact sheet
0 – Germany: Neuer; Höwedes, Boateng, Hummels, Hector; Muller, Khedira, Ozil, Kroos, Draxler (Mario Gomez 72′); Gotze (Schurrle 66′).
0 – Poland: Fabianski; Piszczek, Glik, Pazdan, Jedrzejczyk; Blaszczykowski (Kapustka 80′), Krychowiak, Maczynski (Jodlowiec 7′), Grosicki (Peszko 87′); Milik, Lewandowski.
Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (Netherlands).
Yellow cards: Khedira (3′), Ozil (34′), Maczynski (45′), Grosicki (55′), Boateng (67′), Peszko (90’+3′).
Stade de France (St-Denis): 73.648.
