The scoreline will read a Germany win – their first against Italy in major competition. The scoreline tells of a penalty shootout, which as per routine, Germany won.
But the scoreline will never show that Germany defeated Italy at their own game, after the most arduous 120 minutes of football capped off by an error-riddled penalty shootout.
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In a remarkable nod to the masterful Italian gameplan, Germany conceded their football identity, all in the name of beating the Azzurri – which never had been accomplished prior to this morning.
Coach Joachim Low’s tactics were to mirror Italy’s formation with a back three, consigning the man of the match in Germany’s last game to the bench in the process. What followed was Italy and what seemed like Italy-lite, two obdurate and cagey formations cancelling each other out, from minutes one to 120, with a few notable exceptions.
The first was what seemed the all-too-brief impact of Sami Khedira, who had to be substituted early for Germany after copping a late knock on his foot. The introduction of captain Bastian Schweinsteiger was the sole key point in an otherwise forgettable first half noted for the mirroring tactics of both sides.
The second half barely threatened to raise the level, until an incisive through ball from Mario Gomez found Jonas Hector, whose pass into the penalty area deflected to the path of Mesut Ozil, who scored a belated opener. From there, a game of football eventuated, albeit for a brief ten minutes.
The critical moment of normal time though fell on the arms of the usually reliable German centre back Jerome Boateng, who inexplicably handled inside his goal area, gifting a penalty to Italy, duly converted by Leonardo Bonucci. From there, the arm wrestle returned to proceedings, and would continue unabated until minute 120, when both sides refused to budge ground, despite a host of semi-chances being presented.
Germany prevailed in a farcical penalty shootout, despite misses from players of the calibre of Ozil, Thomas Muller and Schweinsteiger. The climactic moment was the save of Manuel Neuer from the substitute defender Matteo Darmian, setting up Germany’s second match point, converted by Hector to give Germany entry to the semi-finals.
Friday morning it is for Germany in Marseille, where they likely face the hosts France, or the shock packets in Iceland. For Italy, it is a plane home, knowing they were bested by imitation, and it wasn’t flattering for them.
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