Spain 2-1 Germany: Euro 2024 match highlights as hosts fail, Bulls through to semi-finals
Fun to play, even though it may have been awkward at the beginning
Spain advanced, leaving hosts Germany with pain and tears
And these are some of the things that can be seen from this Euro 2024 quarter-final match.
Event: Euro 2024 Quarter-finals
Match date: Friday 5 July 2024
Venue: MHP Arena, Stuttgart
Match result: 90 minutes draw 1-1, extra time Spain beat Germany 2-1
Host allergies
More important than the results of the two teams’ meetings (9-9-9, 1-1 draw at the World Cup in Qatar) is that Spain has a dismal record against the “hosts”.
Both the Euros and the World Cup
The performance against the host nation is a major blemish on the Bulls that will never fade.
- World Cup 1934 Spain drew with Italy and lost the replay 0-1.
World Cup 1950 Spain lost to Brazil 1-6.
Euro 1980 Spain drew with Italy 0-0.
Euro 1984 lost to France 0-2 (final).
Euro 1988 lost to West Germany 0-2.
Euro 1996 drew with England 0-0, lost on penalties 2-4.
World Cup 2002 drew with South Korea 0-0, lost on penalties 3-5.
Euro 2004 lost to Portugal 0-1.
World Cup 2018 drew with Russia 0-0, lost on penalties 3-4.
9 matches, 90 years old, can’t beat the host
An awkward game
It was not different from what was expected, both the lineup and the shape of the game.
There was only one slight mistake, Emre Can replaced Robert Andrich in the starting 11.
With both sides having high quality, being on par, and having a solid defense, it made the game very tense for both sides.
Even though there is a chance to finish, it is usually a long shot.
Which was not too difficult for both Manuel Neuer and Unai Simon to parry.
The first half ended in this manner. I believe many people must have thought, “It’s definitely 0-0.”
And if a goal is scored on either side, the game is likely to end immediately.
If you don’t lose, you don’t lose.
Sometimes, football is as simple as that — if you don’t lose, you don’t lose.
Due to the awkward shape of the ยูฟ่าเบท game, there were almost no golden opportunities for both sides.
The problem is, as soon as the second half started, Germany… “got it” .
On the right flank, 17-year-old Lamine Yamal crossed for Dani Olmo (who replaced the injured Pedri in the first 7 minutes) and slammed a shot past Robert Andrich (who had just come on), with the ball both powerful and directional, just past Neuer.
It was Olmo’s second goal and Yamal’s third assist at Euro 2024.
And yet again, Germany fell behind, as they did in the 1-1 draw with Switzerland in the group stage finale.
And it was almost like in the last 16 game where Joachim Andersen scored for Denmark but it was disallowed because VAR picked up Thomas Delaney’s foot offside.
As mentioned, in this type of odd-even game, if a goal goes against either side, the game is likely to end immediately.
With Kai Havertz’s endless dullness, it’s hard to see Germany coming back in time.
First time meeting a giant
But before the victory went to Spain in 90 minutes.
Supersub Florian Wirtz flicked a header from Joshua Kimmich into the far post to make it 1-1 in the 89th minute.
However, before the game ended in a draw after 120 minutes and had to go to penalties,
Superfake hero Miguel Merino headed home Dani Olmo’s cross in the 119th minute, just moments before the end of extra time!
Exactly as I said before.
As for how far the hosts can go in this Euro, one thing is that we have to look at each day, each game, to see if they can show good form or not. And the second thing is, how strong will the opponents they will face in the knockout round be?
Spain? Italy? Netherlands? Portugal? France? England? These are the biggest tests to see if Germany are ready to claim their fourth European Championship and the first title they have waited since 1996.
It’s done. smoothly passed the lower-ranked teams like Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland and Denmark.
But when they meet a strong team like Spain, it’s all over for Germany immediately.