Gareth McAuley is well aware of the romance of football as Northern Ireland seek an unlikely pathway out of their group at Euro2016.

The Northern Irish side defeated Ukraine 2-0 in their second Group C fixture to now sit a point behind leaders Germany and Poland with one match remaining.

McAuley and his teammates face the unenviable task of taking on reigning world champions Germany in Paris on Tuesday and the opening goalscorer against Ukraine is holding hope of memorable result for the Green and White Army.

"They are the world champions. It's going to be a tough, tough game but football is a romantic game too and sometimes the underdogs come through," he said.

"There is no pressure from the outside, our fans support us no matter what. They are happy to be here and that's the most important thing for us."

McAuley netted the opener with a lovely header on 49 minutes before Niall McGinn wrapped it up with an injury-time finish in Lyon.