Scotland 2 Germany 3: Scotland would probably have settled for two goals against the world champions before this Euro 2016 Group D qualifier kicked off but, crucially, the three they conceded leaves them behind Ireland in the playoff hunt.

Germany 3 Poland 1: Germany followed the example of Georgia last night by doing the Ireland a major favour in the Euro qualification pursuit.

Northern Ireland took a major stride towards their first major finals since 1986 tonight.

Three days on from the 76th anniversary of Germany invading Poland, a movement of sorts has occurred in the opposite direction for tonight’s top-of-the-table Group D tie in Frankfurt (7.45pm).

Two quick-fire moments of individual magic from Lionel Messi made the difference, and Neymar added a late added goal, as Barcelona beat Bayern Munich 3-0 in Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg at the Camp Nou.

Bayern Munich 6 Porto 1 (Bayern win 7-4 on aggregate): Pep Guardiola’s reputation as the world’s greatest football coach, under threat this week amid rumours could be jettisoned by Bayern Munich in the summer, has been spectacularly and emphatically revived by a breathtaking 6-1 victory over Porto in the Champions League that sends his side into the semi-finals and keeps the Treble dream alive.

Porto capitalised on a string of defensive mistakes to beat Bayern Munich 3-1 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final last night.

Euro 2016 Qualifier Group D

Manager Pep Guardiola says he opted to play the most offensive formation of his career as Bayern Munich put seven past hapless Shakhtar Donetsk to march to the Champions League quarter-finals.

Champions League Last 16 First Leg

International Friendly

Germany picked up their obligatory group win over Gibraltar but the expected flurry of goals failed to arrive as they only managed to score four without reply in Nuremberg.

Germany coach Joachim Low said his team had been “naive” in conceding a late equaliser to the Republic of Ireland last night.

Germany 1 Republic of Ireland 1

Poland 2 Germany 0

Poland 2 Germany 0

Bayern Munich 1 Manchester City 0

Champions League Group E

On the same night a Glaswegian gave Scotland’s Euro 2016 Group D play-off rivals a boost in Tbilisi, how Gordon Strachan could have done with Aiden McGeady’s wizardry against World champions Germany.

Germany 2 Argentina 4

Angel di Maria inspired Argentina on a Dusseldorf mission over their World Cup final conquerors Germany as the Manchester United new boy scored once and set up three goals in a 4-2 victory.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again. This seems to be key in any great sporting triumph.

Not just the worthy winner of a fantastic World Cup, Germany is a brilliant country. Here's why.

Rihanna showed her support for Germany in last night's FIFA World Cup final clash with Argentina.

Joachim Low inspired Mario Gotze to win the World Cup for Germany by telling him to show the world he was better than Argentina’s Lionel Messi.

Germany 1 Argentina 0

Germany 1 Argentina 0 (after extra-time)

Germany have won the World Cup by beating Argentina 1-0 after extra-time in the final in Rio de Janeiro.

WORLD CUP GROUP G:

Possession, so the saying goes, is nine-tenths of the law, but, like many sayings, it’s wrong — at least in Champions League semi-finals.

Real Madrid 1 Bayern Munich 0

Now that the draw for the Champions League semi-finals has been made, I have no doubt we will see two very different match-ups when Real Madrid face Bayern Munich and Chelsea come up against Atletico Madrid.

David Moyes put his faith in the old legs of Ryan Giggs once more as Manchester United sought to achieve a positive result against holders Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final first leg at Old Trafford.

Guangzhou Evergrande 0 Bayern Munich 3

Bayern Munich 2 Manchester City 3

Going into the fifth match of their Champions League campaign, the four German clubs ought to be full of confidence.

Manchester City 1 Bayern Munich 3

Bayern Munich midfielders Mario Gotze and Bastian Schweinsteiger will miss Germany’s World Cup qualifiers against Austria and the Faroe Islands due to injury.

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola says he still needs time to get his team playing the way he would like – despite some excellent pre-season form.

Borussia Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp expects the future of star striker Robert Lewandowski to be resolved in the next few days as rumours persist he is on the verge of following team-mate Mario Gotze to Bayern Munich.

The venue might be Wembley but it’s definitely Germany not London calling tonight, as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund do battle in the final of the Champions League.

Ahead of tonight’s show of Bundespower, the sporting week recalled one standout image; displaced maestro Shinji Kagawa and distraught mentor Jurgen Klopp cradling one another tenderly as they were rent apart by the gaudy attractions of Manchester United.