“Just hearing the words ‘Italy vs. Germany’ sends a shiver up your spine.” Antonio Conte said this just after the win over Spain and in doing so vocalised the thoughts of millions of Italians and Germans. They will all be tuning in this evening at 21:00 CEST (referee: Hungary’s Kassai) for the latest instalment in the rivalry between Europe’s two most decorated sides. The Germans have four World Cups and three European Championships whereas the Azzurri hold four World Cups and one European Championship.
The Stade de Bordeaux will be completely full tonight, although there was always little chance of any empty seats. The ground was opened in May 2015 and was specially built for Euro 2016. Over 40,000 spectators will be there this evening. 4,500 fans have taken up Italy’s allocation but when you take into account the Azzurri supporters who have tickets intended for the general public, there will probably be many more there to support Antonio Conte’s men. FIGC President Carlo Tavecchio; CEO Michele Uva; Italian ambassador to France, Giandomenico Magliano; and the president of the Turin Egypt Museum Foundation, Evelina Christillin, will also be there to cheer on their side.
The prize is a place in the semi-finals against the winner of tomorrow’s quarter-final at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis between hosts France and Iceland, who are widely considered as the surprise package of Euro 2016 so far.
Today’s quarter-final will be the 34th meeting between Italy and Germany. The Azzurri have traditionally held the edge over their Teutonic rivals with 15 victories, ten draws and eight defeats against Germany and West Germany. The last match between the two ended in a 4-1 win for Germany in a friendly in Munich on the 29th March 2016.
The Azzurri and the Nationalmannschaft have met in many epic clashes over the years, almost all of which have ended happily for the men in blue. These include the first contest which resulted in a 3-1 win for the Azzurri on 1st January 1923; Italy’s unforgettable 4-3 win in Mexico City in the 1970 World Cup semi-final; the 3-1 victory in the final of Spain ’82; and the Azzurri’s 2-0 triumph in the 2006 World Cup semi-final. More recently, Balotelli’s brace fired Cesare Prandelli’s Azzurri into the Euro 2012 final at the expense of Löw’s men.
Photo: figc.it