Thomas MA?ller receives universal praise for brace; Scotland’s fighting performance is also lauded [Tweets]

Germany ran out 3-2 winners against Scotland on Monday in a tightly-contested Group D encounter in Glasgow, with Bayern Munich star Thomas MA?ller scoring a brace and continuing his remarkable goal-scoring form

Following an unexpected 1-0 loss to Georgia last Friday, Scotland needed a positive result at home to Germany to give themselves a solid chance of qualifying for the 2016 European Championships in France next summer.

Unfortunately for Gordon Strachan’s men, the Germans were able to see off the Scots at Hampden and take a step closer to qualification despite a stubborn display from the hosts. Joachim L w’s men were pegged back twice before Dortmund star lkay GA?ndoAYan slotted in expertly from a clever cut-back by Thomas MA?ller in the 54th minute to win the game for the Germans.

Thomas MA?ller the star, while Scotland put on a brave display against the world champions

With the brace at Hampden, Thomas MA?ller has now scored eight times for club and country so far this season in just five games, and was understandably shown a lot of love by fans on social media for his man-of-the-match performance on Monday.

Gordon Strachan’s men also received praise for giving the Germans a run for their money, although some took exception to the line-up the 58-year-old named for the Group D encounter. Others saw the silver lining — the fact that Scotland can still qualify if they were to get a win and a draw against Gilbraltar and Poland and if the Republic of Ireland were to lose to both Germany and Poland.

Thanks to MA?ller, the Germans are now on the brink of automatic qualification from their group and will be extremely pleased with how the international break has gone for them.