Late Merino header as Spain sinks hosts Germany

Stuttgart, Germany | THE INDEPENDENT | Mikel Merino’s extra-time header earned Spain a place in the EURO 2024 semi-finals at the expense of hosts Germany.

Billed by many as a meeting of the competition’s two strongest sides, the tournament’s first quarter-final started at a ferocious pace. Pedri stung Manuel Neuer’s palms with a low shot inside the opening minute, only to be replaced by Dani Olmo minutes later after suffering an injury.

Lamine Yamal dragged a low free-kick wide of Neuer’s left-hand post and Olmo sent a left-footed drive over the crossbar as Spain sought to assert control, before Kai Havertz headed Joshua Kimmich’s looping cross straight at Unai Simón in Germany’s first clear-cut opening of the contest. The lively Nico Williams then had a close-range attempt repelled by Neuer, who also kept out Olmo’s low effort to preserve parity before the interval.

Álvaro Morata almost opened the scoring moments after the restart when he swivelled past Antonio Rüdiger and blazed over the bar, but the deadlock was broken six minutes into the second half when Olmo steered a low first-time shot beyond Neuer from Yamal’s pass. The goal prompted Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann to introduce striker Niclas Füllkrug, who sent a header over the bar not long after entering the fray.

Dani Carvajal denied Florian Wirtz with a superb sliding block as Nagelsmann’s men threw caution to the wind in the latter stages of normal time. Füllkrug then slid Wirtz’s low delivery against a post and Havertz’s lob sailed narrowly over Unai Simón’s goal, but Germany’s late pressure eventually told when Wirtz slammed a low shot in off the far post to force extra time.

The first period of extra time was finely poised. Both teams went close to taking the lead, Mikel Oyarzabal’s venomous long-range effort whistling wide before Wirtz narrowly missed the target at the other end. Unai Simón was equal to Füllkrug’s well-placed header but Merino decided this absorbing contest with a powerful header from Olmo’s centre, as La Roja held on despite Carvajal’s late red card.

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SOURCE: Euro 2024 media