In the 2024 Euro quarterfinal, Spain narrowly defeated Germany 2-1 with goals from Olmo and Merino while Germany’s only goal was scored by Wirtz. Life presents instances where you scrape through by the skin of your teeth. Luis de la Fuente, Spain’s coach, recently experienced such a moment.
Perhaps, it would be beneficial to integrate a query into the examination for coaching licensure, pondering when you have a formidable player who instils fear in your adversaries’ hearts, should you (a) let them persist in their intimidation or (b) promptly substitute him, indirectly revealing your desire to preserve your current position and thus encouraging the rivals to intensify their attack under duress?
During a tumultuous night in Stuttgart, De la Fuente opted for choice (b), nearly etching his name into the infamous saga of Spanish sports.
Spain had the most lethal striker on the field until the 63rd minute. However, after swapping Lamine Yamal for Ferran Torres, this was no longer the case. Moreover, after replacing his alternate flanking threat, Nico Williams, Spanish attack was substantially weakened.
Amidst the rampant cries of German supporters hoping for the championship not to be concluded here, and a palpable sense of desperation encompassing the venue, Germany launched a relentless attack against Spain, who were defensively stooping, and ultimately succeeded in breaching their fortifications. Julian Nagelsmann, the German coach, who had made some surprising team changes, was expected to be the primary focus until De la Fuente’s interventions.
“Emre Can” and “Andrich” started trending in Germany alongside “Orban,” the Hungarian Prime Minister who had made an unexpected visit to the Kremlin, half an hour before the match began. Nagelsmann had proposed that Emre Can, with his exceptional pace, would be useful in restraining Spain’s formidable Fabian Ruiz, which didn’t materialise in the first half, mostly controlled by Anthony Taylor’s distinctive Premier League-style refereeing. Pedri managed to evade Toni Kroos but was brought down by Kroos’s extended leg within four minutes into the game.
With an almost brash display, Kroos seemed to graze the ball; still, the impact of the tackle was undeniably fierce. Taylor however, felt there was insufficient cause to penalise Kroos. In an unbelievable turnaround, during the subsequent play, Kroos managed to interrupt Yamal mid-dribble, infuriatingly landing his boot’s spike on the young player’s foot.
Just six minutes into the game, if the referee had been stricter, Kroos would have earned only his second ever red card. Taylor’s decision saved Kroos from this fate, leaving his record unblemished.
Distressingly, Pedri’s game was prematurely ended due to the lingering effects of the earlier foul, leading to his substitution for Dani Olmo within the initial eight minutes. Shortly thereafter, on the border of Germany’s penalty area, Rüdiger dramatically brought down Olmo, consequenting in the first yellow card. Spain’s team was livid.
Was this headed towards a battlefield scenario on the pitch? Both teams would need to raise the level of aggression for this to occur. Alvaro Morata’s team – in stark contrast to the manner in which teams of Sergio Ramos or Carles Puyol might react – opted not to respond in kind. Instead, Germany seized control of the game, having knocked out one of Spain’s top players right from the onset.
However, despite showcasing control, Germany’s attacking prowess seemed subpar. Kimmich, fed by Gundogan, swung a header towards Havertz; unfortunately, it was too close to Simon. Shortly after, Havertz squandered a second opportunity with a weak 18-yard shot at Simon.
Nagelsmann confessed to his poor selection of team at half-time, substituting Can and Sané for Andrich and Florian Wirtz. It was soon about to be Yamal’s show. Displaying incredible agility and precision, he cut through the right flank, superbly passing to Morata, turning seven yards out. Spain’s captain, however, shockingly missed the goal.
Undeterred, Yamal took another shot. From the right again, his remarkable calmness and precision were on full display as he maneuvered past David Raum and once more passed – not crossed – ahead to the rapidly oncoming Olmo, who, beating Andrich, almost expertly slotted a delicate shot into the bottom left-hand corner.
As Gündogan began to tire, Nagelsmann made the decision to replace him with the powerful Füllkrug and also introduced Thomas Müller in an attempt to excite the crowd with an audacious final play. But these substitutions failed to have as significant an impact on the match as the strategic decisions taken by the Spanish coach.
During the final 10 minutes, Havertz experienced a personal series of mishaps, first missing the chance to chip an open goal after Unai Simon accidentally set him up, secondly, failing to head a free ball at the back post, and lastly, sending a promising cross sailing high and wide.
However, Germany only needed one stroke of luck. In the 89th minute, they scored the goal the Stuttgart Arena had anxiously been waiting for. Mittelstädt delivered a diagonal pass from the left, Kimmich brilliantly headed it down to Wirtz, who, satisfied with a volley that bounced off the post, scored.
At this stage, things looked bleak for Spain. De la Fuente had steadily pulled all their potent forwards. Germany’s team, though having had five attacking replacements, didn’t look much better. But, unexpectedly, Spain adjusted better to the slower pace of extra time, exhibiting superior possession of the ball. Germany nearly seized the match.
As the second half began, a likely penalty occurred when Musiala’s shot hit Cucurella’s hand, a call that Taylor disagreed with. The crowd once again vocally displayed their displeasure with Taylor’s officiating when a perceived foul on Kroos wasn’t called, allowing Spain to continue their attack.
Upon his return to the pitch, Kroos received a champion’s welcome from the crowd, chanting his name in unison: “Toni, Toni, Toni!” It seemed as if Germany was destined to have their night. It was not to be. As extra time was coming to an end, Olmo made a cutting pass from the left. Mikel Merino, substituting for Williams, was the only player to leap for the ball, scoring with a header that gently floated past a stunned Neuer.
A final opportunity for Germany was squandered as Füllkrug headed a cross wide from the near post, disappointingly missing the mark. Kroos, a renowned professional footballer, saw his illustrious career culminate with a free-kick straight into the welcoming hands of Unai Simon. A staggering tally of 845 career games concluded on this evening.
Nothing but remorse accompanies Germany, haunted by poor player choices and Havertz’s failures. For De la Fuente, a tremendous weight was lifted. Upcoming on Tuesday, Spain embarks to Dortmund for the critical semi-final showdown.