Youngsters power Germany into last 4
Print Edition
GERMANY’S younger generation can rightfully feel they are the ones to be trusted when the world champion lines up for a Euro 2016 semifinal this week after they stood up to be counted in the country’s first tournament victory over Italy on Saturday.
Coach Joachim Loew has remained loyal to the core of his World Cup-winning squad for much of the tournament but it was his emerging players who showed nerves of steel to secure a famous quarterfinal victory in Bordeaux.
In a nerve-wrecking 6-5 win on penalties, Germany missed more spot kicks in a matter of minutes than it had in its entire shootout history as some of Loew’s most trusted servants surprisingly failed to find the target.
Mesut Ozil, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Mueller, who have played a combined 274 matches for Germany, all fluffed their lines but still lived to fight another day thanks to their teammates.
For Ozil, who opened the scoring in the match that ended 1-1, it was his second missed penalty of the tournament, while Mueller has yet to find the net in two European Championships despite boasting a proud record of 10 World Cup finals goals.
The experienced threesome’s failures had little impact on the outcome, however, as young guns Jonas Hector, Joshua Kimmich, 21, and Julian Draxler, 22, were able to keep their cool to send Germany on to a sixth consecutive semifinal at a major tournament.
Fullback Hector, 26, who hit the decisive penalty in his first tournament, will now no doubt keep his starting spot.
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