Germany U21 have edged past a resilient nine-man Italy U21 side in a dramatic European Championship quarter-final, securing their spot in the semi-finals. The match, filled with twists and turns, saw Germany clinch a 3-2 victory in extra time after a 2-2 draw in regular time.
A Rollercoaster of Emotions
The game started with Germany dominating early on, with chances for Nicolo Tresoldi and Paul Nebel. However, Italy grew into the game, with Luca Koleosho of Burnley proving a constant threat on the left wing. Wilfried Gnonto, fresh from Leeds United's promotion to the Premier League, also had a significant chance for Italy.
The second half saw Italy take the lead through a stunning strike by Koleosho in the 57th minute. Germany responded with a triple substitution, bringing on Ansgar Knauff and Nelson Weiper, both goalscorers against England. However, it was Nick Woltemade who equalised, scoring his fifth goal of the tournament with a powerful header from a Rocco Reitz corner.
The drama continued as Gnonto was sent off for a second bookable offence, reducing Italy to ten men. Weiper then headed in what appeared to be the winner for Germany with just three minutes remaining. But Italy refused to give up, and despite Mattia Zanotti receiving a red card to reduce them to nine men, Giuseppe Ambrosino scored an incredible free-kick in the dying seconds of regulation time to send the game to extra time.
Extra Time Heroics
Despite being two men down, Italy defended valiantly for 27 minutes in extra time. However, Merlin Rohl's powerful strike from 20 yards finally broke their resistance, sending Germany through to the semi-finals.
Germany will now face France in the semi-finals, while England will play against the Netherlands on the same night.
Probable Line-ups
Here's how the teams were expected to line up:
- Germany (4-3-3): Atubolu; Collins, Rosenfelder, Arrey-Mbi, Brown; Nebel, Martel, Reitz; Gruda, Tresoldi, Woltemade.
- Italy (4-3-2-1): Desplanches; Zanotti, Coppola, Pirola, Ruggeri; Fabbian, Prati, Ndour; Baldanzi, Casadei; Gnonto.