Euro 2024 Semi-Finals Spain and France advanced to the semi-finals of Euro 2024 (European Football Championship), beating tough opponents Germany and Portugal, respectively.
Spain drew 1-1 in the first 90 minutes with the host country Germany in the quarterfinals of the tournament held at the Stuttgart Arena in Germany on the 6th (Korean time) and then won 2-1 after extra time.
Spain, the winner of the Euro in 1964, 2008, and 2012, reached the semifinals of two consecutive tournaments following the previous Euro 2020 (held in 2021), where it lost to Italy in a penalty shootout in the semifinals.
Spain will compete with France, who defeated Portugal in a penalty shootout, to advance to the finals in Munich on the 10th.
Germany tied for most wins with Spain
Germany, which has reached the top of European soccer three times (1972, 1980, and 1996) and is tied with Spain for the most wins, entered the quarterfinals for the first time in eight years since 2016 (the semifinals), but failed to reach the semifinals.
After both teams went scoreless in the first half, Spain opened the scoring with Dani Olmo’s goal in the 6th minute of the second half.
Ramin Yamal sent the ball low from the right side of the penalty area, and Olmo ran into the center and hit it with his right foot, shaking the goal net.
In the 25th minute of the second half, Germany’s Robert Andrich’s strong mid-range shot from the penalty arc was blocked by goalkeeper Unai Simon.
In the 32nd minute of the second half, Niklas Fülkruk’s counterattack finish hit the goalpost, and the team was unable to counterattack, and their defeat gradually deepened.
However, in the 44th minute of the second half, Jojua Kimmich headed over Maximilian Mittelstedt’s cross, and then Florian Wirz scored an equalizer, and Germany managed to send the game to extra time.
The balance that had been tight for most of the extra time was broken only in the 14th minute of the second half of the extra period.
Mikel Merino headed Olmo’s cross from the left flank and scored the winning goal.
Veteran midfielder Toni Kroos, who left the German national team after Euro 2020 and returned ahead of this tournament hosted by his country, played the full game that day, but was unable to smile.
Kroos had already retired from his team, Real Madrid (Spain), after the UEFA Champions League (UCL) final last month, and this Euro was his last stage as a player.
Overtime between Spain and Germany
In the other quarterfinals held in Hamburg, France, the 2022 Qatar World Cup runners-up, drew 0-0 with Portugal in overtime and then won 5-3 in a penalty shootout, advancing to the semifinals for the first time in eight years since 2016, when it finished as runners-up.
France is attempting to win the Euro for the third time following 1984 and 2000.
Portugal, the 2016 champions, finished their last Euro tournament with ‘captain’ Cristiano Ronaldo in the quarterfinals.
Ronaldo, who played in the Euro six times and holds the all-time record with 14 goals and eight assists in 30 games, was unable to score in this tournament, which was declared to be the ‘last Euro’.
Ronaldo succeeded as Portugal’s first kicker in the penalty shootout that day, but a miss by Joao Felix, the third kicker, led to Portugal’s defeat.
In France, all five kickers scored, starting with the first kicker, Ousmane Dembele.
by 토토사이트