Something had to give. Germany had never beaten Italy in a major tournament. Germany never miss penalties in shootouts.
In fact, everything gave. Three Germans failed from 12 yards, but their team prevailed. They advance. They won the tie of the round. Unlike in 1970, 1982, 2006 and 2012, they saw off the Azzurri. Italy had been their rivals for the title of the team of the tournament, but they exit the tournament.
They departed when Jonas Hector drilled his spot kick under Gianluigi Buffon. Manuel Neuer’s save from Matteo Darmian proved crucial, though the Italy right-back should not be scapegoated. Not when six others failed to score their penalties in an exhibition of startling ineptitude.
There was the bizarre contribution of Simone Zaza, who came on too late to touch the ball in regulation time and, seemingly designated a penalty specialist, skied his effort into the Azzurri fans. Graziano Pelle tried to indicate to Neuer that he would dink his effort, but an attempt to look clever backfired when he rolled it wide.
Yet nothing felt odder than the Germans’s unsuccessful attempts. Germany had scored 22 consecutive penalties in shootouts. Then they missed two in a row and three out of four. All of the old certainties of the world are being destroyed. If Germany are missing penalties, anything truly can happen.
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Thomas Muller became the first German to miss for his country in a shootout since Uli Stielike in 1982. Denied by a brilliant save from Buffon in normal time, his wait to find the net in a European Championship goes on. He had company, too. Mesut Ozil — why does anyone let him take penalties? — hit the post. Bastian Schweinsteiger could have won it, but lofted his effort over the bar.
Then, finally, normality was restored by the German defenders. Mats Hummels, Joshua Kimmich, Jerome Boateng and Hector scored when the shootout went to sudden death.
Penalties were their salvation, after one had threatened to be their undoing. They were on course to win 1-0 when, after 438 minutes of football in France, they belatedly conceded a goal. It involved the tournament’s two outstanding centre-backs. Boateng needlessly handled Alessandro Florenzi’s cross. Perhaps it is a sign of the lack of talent in this Italy team that the penalty taker is a central defender but Leonardo Bonucci stroked it home coolly. To make it all the more admirable, it was the first penalty he had ever taken at senior level. Yet there was a role reversal of sorts in the shootout: Boateng scored, Bonucci missed.
Germany had led for 23 minutes. Subdued before the break, Ozil was supreme for a spell after it. He began to run the game. At his best, he has always possessed a deceptive menace. He emerged unchecked to sweep in Hector’s cross. Minutes later, a lovely chip over the Italian defence allowed Mario Gomez to effect an improvised shot that drew a brilliant save from Buffon.
But this was not the sort of game where anyone would go two goals ahead. Rather, it was the sort of attritional affair when heavyweights collide. Italy underlined their status as a side that is greater than the sum of its parts by holding the world champions. Their midfield compensated for a comparative paucity of ability by running for 120 minutes of hard labour.
It was tight, tense and tactical. Germany played with a back three, the system they abandoned when Jurgen Klinsmann brought a modernising touch in 2004. But imitation was the sincerest form of flattery. This was a one-off return to Germany’s past, designed to counter Italy. The willingness to change hinted at how much Joachim Low was scarred by the 2012 semi-final defeat. After six years of positivity, it brought the first doubts about his management. His critics were only really answered when Germany won the World Cup
Low showed he was more proactive than the previous World Cup-winning manager, Vicente del Bosque, whose Spain side had been Italy’s previous victims. They had been outmanoeuvred. Low prevented that by matching up, a way designed to ensure the more talented team prevailed. The other scenario is that teams cancel each other out, which seemed the scenario for large swathes of the game.
It was a game of patience and probing. Germany pressed high and pushed Italy back. Antonio Conte’s wing-backs had been so advanced in previous matches that Italy had in effect played 3-3-4 in possession. Not this time. The Italian formation became 5-3-2. Germany ensured as much. Emanuele Giaccherini was alone in displaying an ability to find space for the Azzurri.
The first 40 minutes were devoid of goalmouth action apart from when Schweinsteiger used his considerable weight to push Mattia de Sciglio aside before heading in.
Yet when Italy trailed, they responded, providing proof of character. Pelle exerted more of an impact. Florenzi got forward more. There was a resilience to Conte’s Italians, an energy that mirrored their manager’s efforts in the technical area, but it was not quite enough. Germany’s Italy hoodoo is over, albeit in a fashion few envisaged.
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