After more than half a month of fierce competition, the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 were finally over, and the Spanish team eliminated the host Germany 2-1 with a stunning goal in extra time after an extremely fierce battle, becoming the first team to advance to the semi-finals. It was a hard-to-lose, high-profile game that all the fans should be excited to watch after.
As the hosts, the German team showed strong overall strength in the group stage, not only successfully advancing with a winning record, but also playing well in the round of 16 stage, successfully eliminating the strong Danish team and successfully advancing to the last eight stage. In this match against Spain, the German team also showed strong resistance, and finally achieved a 1-1 result, and successfully brought the hope of victory into the battle of extra time.
However, in the fierce competition, the German team did not wait for the joy of victory, but at the last moment of the game, the opponent completed the stunner, missed the semi-finals, and stopped in the quarterfinals, and this also became a defeat for Kroos to end his national team career.
1. Competition review
The match between Germany and Spain can be said to be the most suspenseful game in this European Cup, whether it is from the overall strength of the two teams, or the performance of the previous game, there is not much difference in strength between them, and in the process of the game, both sides have shown tenacious willpower, hoping to win for their national team.
In the course of the first half of the game, although the German team had a certain advantage in overall possession, they did not find a chance to score, while the Spanish team threatened the opponent's goal through some counter-attack opportunities, and the game fell into a stalemate for a while, and the backlines of both sides performed very well, without giving the opponent any chance to shoot.
In the 8th minute of the game, the Spanish team suffered from injury problems, and the manager was forced to make early substitutions, which is undoubtedly a certain weakening of their attacking firepower, and the German team should be more confident to win for themselves after seeing such a situation.
However, the result was often unexpected, and in the middle of the second half, the German defenders made a mistake in a dueling game, giving Spain a very good chance to attack, and in the end they managed to break the opposition goal and take a 1-0 lead.
In the final stage of the game, the German team continued to attack in the front court in order to be able to tie the score, and this also gave the Spanish team a good opportunity to counterattack, the game scene was very exciting, the fans in the audience cheered for their favorite team, and the outcome of the game has not been decided.
In stoppage time, the Germans finally waited for an equaliser when they broke down the opponent's goal to make it 1-1, which gave them a very good mood and successfully took the game into extra-time.
After entering the extra-time game, the physical fitness and willpower of both sides have been very tested, after all, everyone has experienced a fierce competition for 90 minutes, and in such an atmosphere of the game, it is often those players who can burst out of their super individual ability when they are most tired.
In the 119th minute of the game, Spain had a great chance to score, and the score was still tied at 1-1, and both sides were very keen to score goals in the process of extra-time to bring victory to their teams.
In an attacking attack, the Spanish winger managed to get rid of the opposition defender and sent in a precise cross, while his partner successfully completed a header from inside the penalty area, which was very important for the Spanish team as they managed to rewrite the score and take the lead.
In the very short time remaining, the German team did not give themselves a chance to equalize the score, but in the last minute of the game, the opponent completed the stunner and missed out on the semi-finals, while the Spanish players celebrated excitedly as they successfully advanced to the semi-finals.
Second, the significance of the competition
Although in this game, the German team finally reached the quarterfinals and missed the semi-finals, but their performance was also very good, after all, being able to reach the quarterfinals is already a great affirmation of their strength, and in the process of the game, every one of their players did their best to fight for the honor of the national team.
They can step up when the team needs it, score goals for the team, create a threat to the opponent, and when they can't score, they can actively participate in the defense and protect their goal, this attitude of the game has undoubtedly been recognized and loved by all fans.
And after this game, Kroos also officially announced the end of his national team career, he ended with a loss, for such a result, he must be very helpless, after all, as an excellent midfielder, he has always been very hopeful to be able to achieve better results in the national team game, and make greater contributions to the honor of the national team.
When he left, he also received everyone's applause and blessings, because he is worthy of the honor of the national team, his dedication and hard work have also set a good example for the young players, and I believe that under his careful guidance, the national team will usher in better development.
In contrast, the players of the Spanish team are much more excited, after all, they successfully advanced to the semi-finals, which is already a very big recognition of their strength, but also a full affirmation of their performance, and to be able to continue to move forward in the semi-finals, for them, the pressure and responsibility behind them will be more and more.
In the future competitions, they still need to maintain good form, face the games of various strong teams, be fully prepared, and believe in their own strength, so that they can go all the way to the end and win the championship honor of the European Cup.
No matter which team can achieve good results in the European Cup, it is inseparable from the efforts of the whole team, the cooperation and efforts of every player, and the correct guidance and decision-making of the head coach.