Spain snatched a 2-1 win kicking out the host nation Germany with Mikel Merino scoring the winner in extra time on July 5. Substitute Merino’s header in the 119th time prevented the game from going into penalties. As soon as German fans were coping with the quarterfinal exit, the realisation of last match for their legendary midfielder Toni Kroos hit them hard as they failed to make it into last four.
Merino’s header spoiled the party for Germany
Merino was elated by the sensational goal and mimicked his father’s celebration by running around the corner flag. The match was heading towards penalty shootout as Germany kept their calm in the extra time with a strong defence. Spain on the other hand were aggressive in the whole match. Spain’s Dani Olmo breached the German defence scoring the first goal of the match with Lamine Yamal being the provider in 52nd minute. It was a done deal for Spain as they were leading with 1-0 till Bayern Leverkusen’s star Florian Wirtz kept Germany alive with a goal in the 89th minute.
Germany robbed of penalty
German coach Julian Nagelsmann was not happy with the referee Anthony Taylor not giving a penalty when Mar Cucurella's hand got in the way of Jamal Musiala's shot in the second half of extra time. Nagelsmann went on to call for a change in the handball rules.
“There are 50 robots that bring us coffee, so there must be an AI that calculates where the ball will go,” he said.
Toni Kroos hangs his boots
Germany’s veteran midfielder Kroos who has already retired at club level with a UCL title win in his last match at the Real Madrid was forced to call it a day in agony and disappointment. The legend had bid goodbye to Real Madrid fans in May after iconic 464 appearances helping them win more than 20 major trophies including five European Cups.
An emotional Kroos while talking about his final match said, “We were so close, that’s what makes it so bitter.We all had a big goal that we wanted to achieve together. And this dream we all had has been simply shattered now”.
Spain into last four
Merino after the game changing header said, “I knew that there was very little time left and that it was one of the last attacks we would have. I didn’t believe that it had gone in until a couple of seconds later. When you get 30 slaps on your back it sinks in real quick”.
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