Gomez happy to repay Germany faith after scoring Portugal winner

Lviv (Ukraine): Mario Gomez has spoken of his pride after scoring the winning goal to help Germany defeat Portugal 1-0 in their opening match of the European Championship on Saturday.

The Bayern Munich star popped up in the second half to break his unhappy record of having never scored in a major tournament, ensuring that the Nationalelf capitalised on Netherlands` earlier defeat to Denmark. After the match, Gomez could not hide his joy at being given the opportunity to prove his worth by being entrusted with leading his country`s line ahead of striking rival Miroslav Klose. "It was a long way to get here, but I am happy that the coach trusted me today and from the beginning I had a good feeling," he told reporters. "Since I joined up with the national team, I`ve been feeling positive. I knew when Miro [Klose] was benched, that he would come for the last minutes, so there was no surprise [when he stood there to be substituted]." Meanwhile, midfielder Sami Khedira was pleased that Germany rose to the occasion, but took on board the initial difficulties that they encountered due to Portugal`s resolute organisation at the back. "It was an immensely important game. It was very difficult and we had to work very hard. Portugal were very well-prepared," he stated. "All opponents know our style after those two years, so we have to play with more concentration." Germany`s next game is against Oranje on June 13. Goal.com