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Five things we learned from Spain vs Germany
Blogs

Five things we learned from Spain vs Germany

07/07/24 10:34

Five things we learned from Spain vs Germany

Spain beat host nation Germany 2-1 after extra time in the quarter-final clash in Stuttgart, after a 119th winner scored by Real Sociedad’s Mikel Merino saved La Roja from having to face a dreaded penalty shootout. Here are five things we can take from the match, and what we can expect from Spain going into the final stages of the tournament.

The hosts are out!

Despite a thrilling last minute equaliser from Florian Wirtz to send it to extra time, die Mannschaft failed to use their momentum to push forward and score a winner. With so many chances to score, they will definitely now be regretting the fact that they weren’t clinical enough.

Arsenal man Kai Havertz had ample opportunities to score for his nation, but just didn’t seem to have the final touch of class to get the ball in the back of the net.

One of the lead names in the race for player of the tournament is also out in Jamal Musiala, who showed the world his talent and class at 21 years of age.

Germany were expected to go far in this competition, after being in such good form, and being the host nation, but a clash against Spain was never going to be easy.

Toni Kroos retires from professional football

This defeat sadly meant it was the end of midfield legend Toni Kroos’ career as a footballer, after him announcing earlier this year that he would be retiring after the EUROs. Not quite the fairytale ending that Kroos was hoping for.

The retirement almost seems too early, with him only being 34. Throughout his career the man from Greifswald won 33 trophies, including a World Cup, six Champions Leagues, four La Ligas and three Bundesligas. A man who won it all… except for the EUROs.

Spain’s mentality shone through

Conceding a last minute equaliser to take it to extra time is enough to take the motivation out of anyone, but Luis de la Fuente’s men powered through with remarkable strength to continue to push for a winner, and they finally got that just 70 seconds before the end of extra time. This is exactly the sort of mentality that a team needs if they want to win a major tournament.

Half of the starting defence is suspended…

Spain will face France in the semi-finals next Tuesday in Munich, but they will have to make a few changes to their starting lineup now that Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand are both suspended after receiving yellow cards (Carvajal being sent off).

Carvajal had one of the most important bookings with the least consequence when he pulled back Jamal Musiala to stop him from going through on goal; the Real Madrid defender had already received one yellow card in the match which meant he would be suspended for the Semi-Final, so it was a no brainer to take the second yellow for the team so late on in extra time.

Dani Olmo pushing for a place in the starting lineup

With Pedri seeming to be out for the remainder of the tournament, de la Fuente will be looking for someone to step up to the starting XI, and if he is to look at recent performances, it’s the Leipzig man who has stood out. Scoring the opening goal against Germany, and the fourth goal against Georgia, he has shown that he has the nous to come up with the goods when it really matters. Alongside Fabian Ruiz, Olmo is Spain’s joint top scorer at the tournament, and he will be hoping to increase his tally on Tuesday, with him likely to start in place of the injured Barcelona midfielder.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Lily Perrill

Writer

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