New Delhi: The quarter-finals are officially up and running and the fans were treated to a spectacular game in the Stuttgart Arena between the two favourites of UEFA Euro 2024, Spain and Germany. This amazing game proved to be the final game of Toni Kroos’ illustrious career with Germany’s loss meaning that they take no further part in the tournament. With Kroos having already announced he’ll retire post the UEFA European Championship, his glorious career comes to a bitter end.
The game was a fiery affair and the referee would’ve probably sprained his arm given he had to give out a total of 16 yellow cards and 1 red card across both sides, including two players who were sitting on the bench. It was yellow cards galore in Stuttgart as the tone for that was set early after Toni Kroos produced a tough challenge on Pedri.
After a fiery start to the game that saw Pedri walk off after picking up an early injury, both the teams played out an end-to-end game where both teams actually looked threatening. This quarter-final match was worthy of being a final and it’s a shame one of these teams had to head home. After dominating much of the first half, Spain weren’t able to find the back of the net throughout the half.
Both teams made a few changes at half-time and Dani Olmo, who had replaced Pedri early in the first half finally broke the deadlock in the 51st minute after being set up by the young Lamine Yamal and he produced a pinpoint finish past Neuer. The game seemed to be headed towards a Spain victory but Florian Wirtz’s late equalizer meant that Luis de la Fuente’s men had to wait for their celebrations a bit more.
Another gruelling half an hour later, when it looked like the game would be headed to penalties, it was Spain’s turn to score late as a free header from Mikel Merino in the box restored Spain’s lead in the 119th minute. There was late drama to this fiery encounter as Dani Carvajal took a tactical second yellow and got himself sent off to stop a budding Germany attack.
This loss meant this was the first time the hosts of a UEFA European Championships have been knocked out at the quarter-final stage and Germany found themselves extremely unlucky to not proceed after producing an amazing performance. It was yet again, the lack of quality strikers in the German camp, that proved to be Germany’s undoing at a major tournament.
Turning Point: Pedri’s early injury
Pedri’s injury allowed the early inclusion of Olmo in the game. (Photo by Gokhan Balci/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Toni Kroos was lucky not to be in the referee’s book so early into the game as a cynical foul by the German midfielder on Spain’s Pedri meant that the youngster’s night ended just when it had begun. That nasty challenge meant that Pedri had to leave the field and his involvement in the game was over. His replacement, Dani Olmo came in the eight-minute and things changed completely for the Spaniards.
Olmo affected the game from the minute he came on and proved to be a huge factor in the game for Spain. He looked lively throughout the first half and was always on the lookout for creating chances for Spain. His introduction on the pitch added a creative spark from the middle to this Spanish side that had been a little too reliant on their two young wingers, Yamal and Nico Williams.
Olmo was able to combine well with both Yamal and Williams and was the perfect person to be the link between the midfield and attack for Spain. Not only did Olmo draw first blood through his perfectly placed finish, he also put in that exquisite cross for Merino to head the winner for Spain. The RB Leipzig man was always a menace and created a joint-team high three chances in the game. He also took the second most touches in the opposition box as his four touches were only bettered by Nico Williams.
Dani Olmo proved to be the man of the match for Spain in what was their biggest test in the tournament yet and they look like the nailed-on favourites for the title now. They’re the only team in the tournament with a 100% record and after beating the only other team that was expected to match them, they’ll be running high on confidence.
With Pedri’s tournament officially over due to the injury he picked up in the match, Olmo has definitely shown that he should be starting all of Spain’s remaining games and if he manages to produce similar performances in those games, no one can stop Luis de la Fuente’s men. Had Pedri not picked up that injury which brought Olmo to the field so early in the game, maybe Germany would’ve been the ones to go ahead.
Spain end Germany’s dreams of winning a title on home soil as a man of the match display from Dani Olmo was enough to send Germany packing. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
