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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 22 JUNE 2016 20 Sport SPORTTODAY FOOTBALL - EURO 2016 Northern Ireland sweat on last-16 place after loss to group winners Germany The 1-0 loss to the world champions Germany may yet see them advance MARIO Gomez's first-half finish came amid a flurry of opportuni- ties for the dominant Germans, who had 71 per cent possession, yet a herculean effort from soon-to- be free agent Michael McGovern ensured Michael O'Neill's team finished in third with a goal differ- ence of zero. That is greater than Albania's to- tal and if they gain more points or boast a greater goal difference than just one of the other teams to finish third during the group stage then they will progress to the knockout stages. The fact they are still in with a chance owes much to McGovern's heroics as he denied Muller, Mesut Ozil and Mario Gotze in the first half before thwarting Gotze and Gomez again with even better saves after the break. The prospect of a potentially his- toric night for Northern Ireland had brought four-time major win- ning golfer Rory McIlroy, one of their most famous sporting sons, to the French capital, though he was soon craning his neck in one direction as the Germans took control. With Conor Washington cut adrift in attack, the Northern Irish midfield were unable to stop Toni Kroos and, in particular, Ozil pull- ing apart their defence. McGovern's one-on-one save from Thomas Muller was the first of a trio of stops in quick succes- sion, the others coming from Ozil and Gotze, before Muller steered another attempt just past the post. Still the attacks came and after Muller nodded Joshua Kimmich's cross on to the post, it took just two more minutes before McGov- ern was finally beaten. Ozil was again the architect as he released Muller, and though Aaron Hughes and McGovern shut off his route to goal, Gomez was on hand to finish via a Gareth McAuley de- flection. O'Neill had trusted the same XI that defeated Ukraine five days earlier, yet while they had created opportunities then, Jamie Ward's shot straight at Manuel Neuer was their only first-half attempt, and they were fortunate to not be 2-0 down at the break as Muller again struck the woodwork. For all the galaxy of stars in the German's arsenal, the best player on the pitch continued to be Ham- ilton's McGovern, who is out of contract at the end of this month and will not be short of offers hav- ing somehow denied Gotze's half- volley by thrusting his right arm down early in the second period. Gotze was substituted shortly after missing a sitter from close range before McGovern thwarted Sami Khedira - Gomez heading the rebound wide. Kyle Lafferty came on in place of Washington prior to the hour mark and Steven Davis' long carry forward and a couple of corner op- portunities, which ultimately came to nothing, increased the decibel levels among the Green and White Army. McGovern's heroics may have dispirited the reigning World Cup holders as their dominance de- creased, with a Muller header wide from Ozil's delivery their only ef- fort of note for some time. And, even when they did find the target, McGovern's form contin- ued as he scooped Gomez's header away with his fingertips after the goalscorer had reached the impres- sive Kimmich's cross. It finished 1-0 and having waited 30 years just to be at a major tour- nament, Northern Ireland's fans will be content with a slightly long- er wait to see if a last-16 berth can be sealed. Ibrahimovic to finish international career after Euro 2016 Conor Washington and Mats Hummels vie for the ball SWEDEN striker Zlatan Ibrahi- movic said on Tuesday that he would retire from international football at the end of Euro 2016, adding he would remember his in- ternational career with pride not disappointment. Announcing his decision at a press conference on the eve of Sweden's final group game against Belgium, the 34-year-old added that he would not be taking part in the Rio Olympic soccer tour- nament in August as an over-age player. Sweden must beat Belgium in Group E on Wednesday to have a realistic chance of qualifying for the round of 16. Ibrahimovic, who has scored 62 goals in 115 appearances, had been giving routine answers about Wednesday's game when he sud- denly switched to English and said he had a message to send. "The last game (at Euro 2016) will be my last for Sweden, so I hope it will not be tomorrow," he said. "To finish with a disappoint- ment -- never." "I am very proud of what I have achieved and, wherever I go, I will always bring the Swedish flag with me. Disappointment doesn't exist, only pride. I'm very grateful to all the supporters." Ibrahimovic, who has been re- ported to be set to join Manches- ter United in the English Premier League next season from Paris St Germain, has had a disappointing tournament so far. He has not yet had a shot on target as Sweden have taken only one point from their opening two games. Ibrahimovic, who made his de- but in 2001 against the Faroe Is- lands, has played at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and the last four European championships for Swe- den. However, he missed out on the last two World Cup tournaments in 2010 and 2014 when Sweden failed to qualify. One of his most memorable in- ternational matches was a friendly in 2012 when he scored all four Sweden goals in a 4-2 win over England, including a memorable 35-metre effort with his back to goal. "You need a whole press confer- ence on what I think, but of course he has made a huge contribution to the Swedish national side," said coach Erik Hamren. "He has been such an important figure for Swedish football as a whole. He has been fantastic for the national team, for Sweden and I think we can talk about that for hours. "We have one international play- er who is at the same level as Cris- tiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and that is Zlatan," he added. "Zla- tan is a huge character and he has really helped Swedish football."