Spain and its fans celebrated as if they'd won the European Championship. After eliminating tournament host Germany in a thrilling quarterfinal, Luis de la Fuente's team has a great chance to lift the trophy in Berlin next week. (More Football News)
Spain snatched a 2-1 win in e♓xtra time on Friday thanks to substitute Mikel Merino's header in the 119th minute. Merino celebrated by running around the corner flag, mimicking his father Miguel Merino's celebration after he scored in the same stadium for Osasuna in the UEFA Cup against Stuttgart in 1991.
"I kಞnew that there was very little time left and that it was one of the last attacks we would have," Merino said. “I didn't believe that it had gone in until a couple of seconds later. When you get 30 slaps on your back it sinks๊ in real quick.
“I am very happy for me and the entire team. It all comes down to one moment (the goal), but there i﷽s so much ꦛwork behind it, all the training, the hope, the faith, and the belief in ourselves.”
Extraꦉ time came only after Florian Wirtz's equalizer ♌in the last minute of regulation.
﷽Dani Olmo, who set up Merino's winner, netted the🍌 opener early in the second half. All three goals came from substitutes.
Spain defender Dani Carvajal was sent off late in extra ti🌳me for a second yellow card and will be suspended from Tuesday's semifinal against France. Fellow defender Robin le Normand will also miss that match after picking up another booking.
France knocked out Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo in a penalty shootout 5-3.
Spain🅘 eliminated the host of a major tournament♚ for the first time in 10 attempts.
Germany players were morose and coach Julian Nagelsmann looked on with his hands on hips and his face🐻 etched with disappointment.
“We were so close, that's what makes it so bitter,” Germany midfielder Toni Kroos said after the final match of his excellent career. The 2014 World Cup winne♌r had said he was retiring when Germany's campaign ended.
“We all had a big goal that we wanted to achieve together,♏” Kroo♎s added. “And this dream we all had has been simply shattered now.”
Teammates who might also have𒁃 played their last international included captain Ilkay Gündogan, Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer.
Despite the disappointment and the “hurt,” Nagelsmann managed to crack a joke during his news conference: “It's hurting also that we have to wait two years to b🌠ecome world champion."
The quarterfinal pitted t🀅he Euros' only three-time champions, the teams who have played the best soccer at Euro 2024, and it didn't disappoint.
There was a blistering pace ꦦfrom the start with crunching tackles and end-t😼o-end action.
Kroos was lucky not to be booked for a mistimed challenge that upended Sp🐈ain midfielder Pedri. Another hefty challenge moments later forced Pedri to leave injured and in tears. He was replaced by Olmo in the eighth minute, the fastest replacement in Euros history.
“Pedri is in pain. It deserved a red card," De la Fuente said. He added it was too early to know if the ওyoung Barcelona midfielder would recover by Tuesday.
From the resulting free kick, Lamine Yamal almost became the youngest ever goal-scꦕorer at the tournament but the 16-year-old's effort flashed past the right post.
Yamal did have a hand in the opener as he cut inside from the right and rolled the ball across for Olmo to hit it first time into the bꦛottom lef𒐪t corner.
It was Yamal's thi��rd assist of the tournament, the most by a teenag🌟er at a Euros.
Substitute Nico Füllkrug hit the post in a late desperate onslaught by Germany, which was rewarded just in the ni🏅ck of time.
Joshua Kimmich nodded Max🍬imilian Mittelstädt's cross back to Wirtz, who𝓰se effort went in off the far post.
The teams had more chances to win in ex𝕴tra time and Germany was incensed in the first period when referee Anthony Taylor didn't give a penalty after Jamal Musiala's shot smashed against Marc Cucurella's hand.
Nagelsmann called for a ♉change in rules for handbal🐎l so that a penalty would be given if the shot was on target, removing the interpretation of intent.
“There are 50 robots that bring us coffee, so there must be an AI that calculatꦏes where the ball will go,” he said.
Just as a shootout was loom𓄧ing, Merino leapt high to head in Olmo's cross and send the Spanish fans behind the goal into a frenzy.
"They always tell you to e🎃njoy the moment, but when you get to minute 105 it is impossible not to think about the penalties," Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón said. "And as the minutes ticked down, I couldn't help but think that (Kai) Havertz, Füllkrug, and Toni were out there. Mikel saved us from a real bind."
