Spain v Germany LIVE: Result and reaction as Merino sinks Germany with 120th-minute winner
Spain 2-1 Germany (AET): Mikel Merino score late in extra-time to knock the hosts out of their own tournament
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Spain are the first team into the semi-finals at Euro 2024 after a drama filled quarter-final against Germany ended in thrilling fashion after going to extra-time.
A tetchy first half saw these two attacking teams stuttering and struggling to get going with the game repeatedly broken up by fouls and a lack of sharpness in the final third.
After the the break though, Spain went ahead with substitute Dani Olmo arriving in the box to turn home Lasine Yamal’s squared pass. That goal opened things up and Germany stressed for an equaliser. It came just before the end of the 90 as Florian Wirtz took a shot on the swivel to beat Unai Simon.
In extra-time there were few chances but a fine switch of play from Dani Carvajal set up Olmo to whip a cross into the middle. Mikel Merino met the ball with a fine header and beat Neuer at the near post. Carvajal was sent off a minute or so later but it did not matter as Spain secured their semi-final place.
Relive the action from Spain v Germany with our live blog below:
Practice and preparation can bring penalty success, says Ilkay Gundogan
Gundogan is one of Germany’s most experienced players and has taken almost 20 penalties in a successful career between clubs like Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City.
However, he believed anyone who stepped up to take a spot kick should be lauded for their bravery and that even some of the game’s greatest players do not always score.
“Even the best takers in the world miss,” Gundogan said. “I automatically think about someone like Harry Kane who has a finishing that is unbelievable but I also remember him missing quite a few penalties.
“So it’s just the circumstances at the end of the day. I missed a lot of penalties in my career so far as well. At the end of the day you just try your best. Sometimes it gets rewarded and you can do it in a better way and sometimes not.
“I think to have the guts to step on, to take a penalty in crucial moments, to show respect for it, even when you miss because it is a situation that is extraordinary and it is very difficult to deal with.”
Practice and preparation can bring penalty success, says Ilkay Gundogan
Mental preparation and plenty of practice are the most important factors in taking a penalty, Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan said as his team gear up for Friday’s Euro 2024 quarter-final clash against Spain.
Both teams are heavy favourites and have provided some of the best football in the tournament so far and their clash could come down to a penalty shootout.
Gundogan, 33, said on Thursday that the pressure of taking a penalty is not something that can be replicated in training, but that it’s still important to be mentally prepared.
“The key word for me is routine. When you step on to take a penalty, the pressure that exists in a game it’s just different than it was in training and obviously to replicate is very, very difficult. I don’t believe that you can replicate it in training,” Gundogan told a press conference.
“You can train your routine. You can train how you want to approach a penalty. Your breathing, how you get calm... The most crucial thing is to get calm, how to get your heartbeat down.
“Just try to be cool and enjoy the moment of taking a penalty. Which is the most difficult thing because, otherwise anyone would score a penalty.”
Spain wary of ‘super class’ Toni Kroos in quarter-final
Only three nations have won the Euros as hosts (Spain 1964, Italy 1968, France 1984) and three more have played a final on home soil, only to lose (Portugal 2004, France 2016 and England 2020).
History is also not on Germany’s side for Friday’s matchup, as they have not beaten Spain in a tournament game since 1988, a winless run which includes a 6-0 demolition in the 2020 Nations League.
Despite Spain’s imperious form in their four straight wins so far at Euro 2024 and their previous success against Germany, De la Fuente said it would be an evenly-matched clash.
The difference could be, according to the Spaniard, the individual talent of certain players, like Germany midfielder Toni Kroos. The 34-year-old could be playing the last game of a remarkable career as he plans to retire after the tournament.
“I will ask Uefa if I can tie his feet together for this game,” De la Fuente joked. “Kroos is a super class player. It is incomprehensible that he is leaving football. It’s a shame that he will stop playing. We know what Kroos does and we will try to limit his passing, be very close and help him so that he doesn’t receive or at least doesn’t do it comfortably.
“That’s what we can do as they won’t let us tie his feet. It is a final before the final and I hope we advance.”
Germany left with one regret before ‘the real Euro 2024 final’ against reinvented Spain
It is something that Julian Nagelsmann doesn’t even want to be mentioned around the German camp, but it’s now impossible not to consider. Would the hosts have been better off had Niclas Fullkrug not scored that 92nd-minute equaliser against Switzerland in the final group game? Might that have been the moment on which the entire tournament turned?
A 1-0 defeat would have put Germany second in their group and on the more forgiving side of the draw, probably making them the biggest force there. It could have been a clear route to the semi-final.
Nagelsmann would argue that, if that happened, the hosts wouldn’t still have their unbeaten record. They wouldn’t have the emotional momentum that comes with a last-minute equaliser to preserve that record, either. They wouldn’t have the same aura.
Euro 2024, meanwhile, wouldn’t have a fixture as mouthwatering as Spain v Germany on Friday.
Germany have one regret before ‘the real Euro 2024 final’ with Spain
Niclas Fullkrug’s goal against Switzerland has put the hosts on a collision course with La Roja, yet Julian Nagelsmann’s side retained an aura by avoiding defeat to set up what many believe is ‘the real final’
Spain do not fear partisan atmosphere in Germany
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente dismissed the impact a sold-out Stuttgart Arena filled by a majority of German fans could have in the outcome of their Euro 2024 quarter-final on Friday.
Ahead of the match against tournament hosts Germany, De la Fuente said that playing at home is not always an advantage as the weight of responsibility to not let a country down is often a burden.
“I think that at these levels, the so called home advantage is not really a factor and I don’t think it has too much influence,” De la Fuente told a press conference on Thursday.
“We have very experienced players, who are not going to be intimidated by a more or less hostile environment. It’s a normal football environment that we’re used to. I don’t think that has any influence at all.
“And I’m also not sure whether they are beneficial or not, sometimes that pressure goes against the home team, because the fans are very demanding and if things don’t start well, then the crowd can have a positive effect for us.... we’re going to play the game as we’ve been doing so far, with joy and confidence.”
Goals, assists and perfect passing - Nico Williams is the consistent star Spain have been searching for
For many reasons, a majority of them valid, Lamine Yamal seemed to become the face of this Spain side heading into Euro 2024. For one it’s his youth, of course - a star at just 16. There’s also the potential for so many storylines, with his birthday the day before the final itself.
Then there’s the fact he plays for Barcelona - all this before we even approach the subject of his quality, which is clearly off the charts.
But while he gives Spain traits they’ve been desperate for over the last few years and tournaments - guile around the box, balance in the forward line and, above all else, speed - he isn’t the only player to do so. He isn’t even the only starting forward who offers much of the same traits, if in mirror image.
Goals and perfect passing - Nico Williams is the star Spain have been searching for
Lamine Yamal has won the headlines with regularity but his partner in crime is similarly sensational
Germany left with one regret before ‘the real Euro 2024 final’ against reinvented Spain
It is something that Julian Nagelsmann doesn’t even want to be mentioned around the German camp, but it’s now impossible not to consider. Would the hosts have been better off had Niclas Fullkrug not scored that 92nd-minute equaliser against Switzerland in the final group game? Might that have been the moment on which the entire tournament turned?
A 1-0 defeat would have put Germany second in their group and on the more forgiving side of the draw, probably making them the biggest force there. It could have been a clear route to the semi-final.
Nagelsmann would argue that, if that happened, the hosts wouldn’t still have their unbeaten record. They wouldn’t have the emotional momentum that comes with a last-minute equaliser to preserve that record, either. They wouldn’t have the same aura.
Germany have one regret before ‘the real Euro 2024 final’ with Spain
Niclas Fullkrug’s goal against Switzerland has put the hosts on a collision course with La Roja, yet Julian Nagelsmann’s side retained an aura by avoiding defeat to set up what many believe is ‘the real final’
Early team news
Spain rested a number of players for their final group game against Albania, having won their first two matches, but fielded a full-strength team against Georgia.
Germany will have Jonathan Tah back from suspension and he is expected to partner Antonio Rudiger.
Here’s everything you need to know about the match
When is it?
Spain vs Germany will kick off at 5pm BST at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart.
How can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on ITV1 with coverage starting at 4pm and the match can also be viewed live on the ITVX app and website.
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Spain vs Germany
Spain have been the in-form side of Euro 2024, and will take on Germany in one of the most highly-anticipated matches of the tournament on Friday.
Germany started their European Championship with a dominant 5-1 victory over Scotland, and reached the quarter-finals with a straightforward win over Denmark.
But they have exceeded the expectations set in recent years having not won a knockout match in a major international competition beforehand since 2016, but will need everything to be in place against Spain.
La Roja have won all four of their games at Euro 2024 and netted nine goals in the process, only conceding their first goal of the tournament in the 4-1 round-of-16 win over Georgia.
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