Joachim Loew hailed his team of “fighters” as Germany finally broke their Italy hoodoo by seeing off the Azzurri in a penalty shootout in Saturday’s Euro 2016 quarter-final.
Jonas Hector hit the crucial penalty to seal the world champions’ 6-5 victory in Bordeaux to claim an historic win over Italy.
It was the first time Germany have beaten the Azzurri in nine attempts at a FIFA World Cup or UEFA European Championships.
Photo: EPA
“From a fighter’s point of view, it was amazing what the side did,” Loew said as Germany reached the semi-finals for the third consecutive time.
The match finished 1-1 after extra-time as Mesut Ozil’s superbly worked second-half goal was canceled out by Leonardo Bonucci’s 78th-minute penalty.
Man-of-the-match Manuel Neuer was Germany’s hero in the shootout, saving shots by Bonucci and Matteo Darmian in the marathon 18-penalty battle, but the world champions’ efficiency deserted them at crucial times at the Stade de Bordeaux.
Photo: AFP
Thomas Mueller, Mesut Ozil and Bastian Schweinsteiger failed to convert their spot-kicks as nerves got to die Mannschaft’s stars, but Loew was full of praise for Hector and 21-year-old Joshua Kimmich, who nailed their penalties under intense pressure.
“The experienced players missed and the younger guys came through, so that’s quite positive,” Loew said. “If you want to criticize anything, sometimes we lost the ball too easily. We had a chance for a second goal, but Buffon produced a save and then an Italian player stopped Mueller.”
Germany face either France or Iceland in the Marseille semi-final on Thursday as they chase a fourth European crown.
Photo: EPA
They will be without centerback Mats Hummels, who is suspended after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament.
There is also a question mark over midfielder Sami Khedira, who was forced off early, while striker Mario Gomez picked up a leg injury.
“It wasn’t great to see Sami come off after just 15 minutes,” Loew said. “He had problems with his hamstring, I don’t know if it is serious. Gomez had muscle problems, but I can’t say too much about it. We have to recover and look after some players because a game like this affects the body.”
Loew pulled a surprise before kickoff by naming a three-man defense in a deviation from the 4-2-3-1 formation, which beat Slovakia 3-0 in the round-of-16.
Loew said he decided to switch after watching Italy beat Spain in the previous round and after Germany beat Italy 4-1 in a friendly in March with the formation he used on Saturday.
“It was necessary. You have to change the side after a game like Slovakia which was very different,” Loew said. “We tried to close down the center for Italy. After I saw the Spain game, that was my first thought. After the World Cup, I realized we had to change a little bit. We played a 3-5-2 against Italy in March and it worked.”
Tears rolled down the cheeks of Gianluigi Buffon, but the legendary Italy goalkeeper said that there were “no regrets.”
“The tears are for my disappointment. It was a magical experience that revived something in all of us and our fans, but it’s come to an end,” an emotional Buffon said. “It’s a shame. When a team [Germany] misses three penalties out of five and you still don’t manage to win it becomes complicated. Sometimes it goes your way, other times it doesn’t, but that’s all a big part of sport and you have to accept it. We wanted to leave this tournament without any regrets and that’s what we will do. We made our people proud and for this we can’t be sorry.”
It was Antonio Conte’s last game as coach ahead of his move to English Premier League giants Chelsea, but the Juventus goalkeeper, 38, said the defeat would not hasten his international retirement.
“Personally, I’m fine. I still get fired up by these games and I feel that I’ve still got something to give to this squad,” said Buffon, who believes there is a big future for Italy’s young team. “I’m happy and proud to have worked alongside this squad. They [Germany] deserved victory more than us, but this game will serve the lads well.”
Loew said he expected France to squeeze past Iceland in yesterday’s final quarter-final.
“We’ll have to see, France is going to be the favorite, they’re a great side with individual quality,” Loew said. “Iceland are a battling team, who are organized in defense. It’s not going to be easy for France. I think if France manage to put quality on the pitch, then they will do enough to get to the semi-final.”
Loew dismissed any suggestion his players would be drained by the marathon against Italy.
“When you’re in the semi, of course, the goal is to reach the final. The players have to recover, but of course we want more,” he said.
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