Tuesday 21 June 2016 23:57, UK
Two years on from perhaps his biggest disappointment in football, Mario Gomez staked a claim to lead Germany's misfiring attack at Euro 2016.
Gomez, who wasn't picked for Germany's triumphant World Cup campaign in Brazil, scored his side's sole goal in a 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland on Tuesday.
"I always said to myself, 'That wasn't it. That doesn't work. My time with the national team can't end like that,'" Gomez said. "I followed the guys on TV in 2014 and was a huge fan.
"But I always had the urge to return, to be there again. It's simply something special, a special team packed with world-class players."
Germany coach Joachim Low opted for a more direct approach against Northern Ireland that involved giving Mario Gotze a free role and Gomez his first start at the competition. In the previous games, Low had preferred Gotze up front in the opening games.
Gomez's 27th-minute goal ensured Germany topped Group C to play one of the third-place teams in the round of 16 in Lille, and Low was fulsome in his praise of the striker after the match.
"We didn't have a false nine but a real nine," the manager said. "He occupied two or three defenders because he likes to stay in the centre. That was very important to occupy these players.
"We need a player in this position to create space for Muller or Goetze. That's why Muller had three or four chances."
Gomez was left out of Germany's World Cup-winning squad in 2014 after an injury-blighted season at Italian side Fiorentina. The injuries continued and Gomez wasn't called back to the national team until November 2015, by which time he'd shown he was back in form at Turkish side Besiktas.
Gomez's 26 goals helped Besiktas win the Turkish league last season, when he needed an average of 104-minutes-per-goal, while he also chipped in two in the Europa league.
"My ambition is greater than ever before. I want to win the tournament," Gomez added.
