The Spanish team beat the Germans, the hosts of the tournament, in extra time. Their next opponent will be Mbappé’s France.
A goal from Mikel Merino in overtime he gave to Spain a dramatic 2-1 victory over Germany in a thrilling quarter-final clash on Friday between the two most successful teams at the European Championships. They will now face France, who eliminated Portugal on penalties.
The eagerly awaited match turned into a real party at the Stuttgart Arena, which was packed with mostly German fans, who were heartbroken after the hosts’ defeat.
Spain were superior for the first hour and wasted several chances before Dani Olmo gave them a deserved lead in the 51st minute.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann made five changes in a desperate attempt to find an equaliser, but it paid off in the 89th when substitute Florian Wirtz, Bundesliga player of the year with champions Bayer Leverkusen, headed in a Joshua Kimmich pass to force extra time.
The match was tied after 119 minutes and headed to penalties when substitute Merino jumped to head in the winning goal after a cross from Dani Olmo.
“At first I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t see the ball come out of my head, I heard an incredible silence, I saw all the players coming and giving me a beating and I realised that yes, it had gone in,” said Olmo after the match.
The hosts struggled to level the scoreline and full-back Dani Carvajal was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for bringing down Jamal Musiala to prevent a counter-attack.
“It’s hard to hold back the tears. We didn’t deserve to lose today. We reacted well after the break. Spain only had two chances in the second half, we were closer to victory than Spain,” said German coach Nagelsmann. “It hurts, it will take time to do better, and a tournament at home will never happen again in my career, I guess.”
Carvajal and centre-back Robin Le Normand will miss the semi-final, where Spain will face Mbappé’s Francis.
Source: Ambito
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