A clash of titans took place in the EURO 2024 quarterfinals as Germany and Spain went toe to toe, wire to wire. Almost even possession, shots and chances galore for both teams.
In the end, Spain substitute Dani Olmo (one goal, one assist) was the difference maker. Forced on the field after only five minutes when Spain’s Pedri went down injured, Olmo was the dynamite presence that Germany just could not contain.
Julian Nagelsmann made three changes to the lineup he started the tournament with — RB Leipzig’s David Raum coming in for VfB Stuttgart’s Maximilian Mittelstädt at left-back, Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sané for Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz at wing, and Borussia Dortmund’s Emre Can for Leverkusen’s Robert Andrich in defensive midfield.
But the best laid plans…do not always last more than a half. Wirtz and Anrich were back on after the first break, pushing Arsenal FC striker Kai Havertz to a wing role. By the time extra time started, Havertz was off too and Bayern’s Thomas Müller was left on the wing.
Still, Germany and Spain traded blow for blow. After Wirtz scored an equalizer in the 89th minute, it looked like the host nation had regained the ascendancy. But one more moment of Olmo magic catapulted Spain ahead in the 119th minute — the same mark at which Mario Götze won the World Cup for Germany 10 years ago — and crushed Germany’s dreams.
Shots hitting the post. A controversial penalty no-call. Sixteen yellow cards. This game had it all for the neutrals. For Germany fans: heartbreak.
Now here’s your chance to weigh in on the performances. If you’ll allow a little bit of editorializing: let’s not be too harsh on the boys today. They gave everything.
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Looking for more thoughts and analysis of Germany’s crushing 2-1 loss to Spain? We have you covered with our Bavarian Podcast Works — Postgame Show. We have takes on Julian Nagelsmann’s controversial starting XI, a rundown of the scoring and substitutions, and ideas on how this all fell apart in front of an absolutely electric crowd. You can get the podcast on Spotify or below: