Mikel Merino (119) became the hero of the match, breaking the tie in extra time, after goals from Florian Wirtz (89) for the Germans and Dani Olmo for ‘La Roja’ (51).
Germany’s defeat also means the retirement of Kroos, for whom this tournament was meant to be an epilogue before hanging up his boots.
The German general’s last match was marked by a heavy foul against Pedri in the first minutes of the match. The Spaniard was, paradoxically, replaced by Olmo.
The first prediction from the national team is that he has a “sprained left knee,” which could mean the end of the tournament for last year’s Best Young Player.
After the finale, the tears and the recognition of the entire fan base for the 2014 World Cup champion in Brazil, Kroos spoke to the German broadcaster ARD about his sadness and bitterness.
“Now what we have recently and what weighs the most is the elimination. We had this tournament as our objective and we have not been able to achieve it. The dream we had is over. We have played a good tournament, but when you are so close, being eliminated in this way is bitter”the midfielder noted.
He concluded: “We can all be proud of what we did. I’m glad we were able to help, I think we have managed to restore hope to German football and we have improved. The team will continue to do so in the future, although today we are very sad because we would have liked to continue a little longer.”
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
