Stuttgart, (UNI) In a heart-stopping clash on Friday, Germany’s Euro 2024 dreams were shattered by a resolute Spanish side, bowing out 2-1 after an intense extra-time battle.
Mikel Merino etched his name into the annals of Spanish football with a decisive strike that sealed their victory and crushed the hopes of a nation yearning for glory in Berlin.
The match was a spectacle of grit and determination, where neither side yielded easily. Spain, buoyed by the energetic flanks led by Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, struck first blood in the 51st minute. Yamal’s darting run down the right flank, perfectly orchestrated by Alvaro Morata, culminated in a precise cutback that Dani Olmo clinically dispatched past a diving Manuel Neuer, nestling the ball into the far corner.
Yet, Germany refused to capitulate. With the clock ticking down and their Euro aspirations hanging by a thread, Florian Wirtz emerged as the savior in the 89th minute. A pinpoint cross from David Raum found Joshua Kimmich, whose headed assist set up Wirtz to thunder the ball home, igniting a frenzy of jubilation among the German faithful.
As extra time loomed large, both sides battled fiercely for supremacy. Spain’s substitutions brought fresh energy, while Germany’s late surge nearly tipped the scales in their favor. Kai Havertz and Niclas Fullkrug spearheaded a relentless offensive charge, but fate cruelly denied them. Havertz’s ambitious lob grazed the crossbar, and Unai Simon’s heroics thwarted Fullkrug’s late attempt, leaving Germany crestfallen.
In the end, it was Mikel Merino’s decisive strike in extra time that sealed Spain’s passage to the semifinals, extinguishing Germany’s hopes in a match where passion, drama, and the weight of national pride collided under the spotlight of Stuttgart.
