It was a penalty shootout that condemned Italy to elimination after a game played with heart and character with the Azzurri matching the World Champions throughout. Italy’s captain Gigi Buffon left the pitch with tears on his face after an extraordinary performance along with his teammates. Germany managed to break their curse against Italy in major tournaments and progress to the semi-finals, whilst the Azzurri leave the tournament with many regrets; at the same time, they can feel proud because they were able to win the hearts of the Italian supporters.

Conte and Löw staged a real chess match on the pitch changing one player each compared to the starting XIs chosen in the round of 16. Sturaro replaced De Rossi in midfield, with Parolo acting as playmaker and Florenzi and De Sciglio on the flanks. As usual, Eder and Pellè played up front. Löw somewhat surprisingly picked Höwedes in place of Draxler and changed his formation by opting once again for a three-man defence as in the friendly held in March. Gomez started at centre-forward with Müller and Özil playing around him.

The Azzurri, who took to the pitch wearing black armbands in memory of the victims of the attack in Bangladesh, were supported by thousands of vocal Italian fans at the Stade de Bordeaux. Müller and his teammates began by directing the game and going forward with ten men when in possession and pressing the Azzurri immediately to try and win back the ball. Conte expected a German team in better physical condition than Spain and it was indeed what showed out on the pitch. Despite losing Khedira in the 15th minute due to injury, with Schweinsteiger replacing the Juventus midfielder, the game went on just like it had begun. It was Schweinsteiger who headed past Buffon in the 27th minute, but Kassai correctly disallowed it after a foul on De Sciglio. Italy performed in a very disciplined fashion, trying to take advantage of the opposition’s mistakes and without conceding. As a matter of fact, Germany’s first attempt on goal came in the 41st minute. Kimmich made an error after 30 minutes and De Sciglio made a run on the left side but Italy’s forwards were late to his delivery into the box. Both teams had a chance in the final stages of the first half. Müller’s attempt from close range was easily saved by Buffon, whilst Sturaro’s shot from the edge of the box was crucially blocked by Boateng.

The two best defences of UEFA EURO faced each other and both teams struggled to create chances. The first big one was for Germany after nine minutes into the second half, but Müller’s shot from close range was deflected by Florenzi. Kassai booked Sturaro, De Sciglio and Parolo within a few minutes, while Germany took the lead half way through the second half: Gomez found Hector on the left flank, who fed Özil to make it 1-0. Buffon was conceded his first goal at UEFA EURO 2016, but kept Italy alive a few minutes later by denying Gomez who had a great opportunity to double the lead. The German striker left the pitch shortly after and was replaced by Draxler, who helped Germany see more possession. As the game seemed to be safely in Germany’s hands, Boateng gave away a penalty by touching the ball with his hands after a Chiellini header. Bonucci kept his cool and fired past Neuer to make it 1-1 and score his fourth goal for the Azzurri. The fans became very loud in the stands, Buffon encouraged his teammates from the penalty area and Conte decided to substitute Florenzi with Darmian. Germany had another chance halfway through extra time, but Draxler couldn’t quite connect with the ball. Insigne came on with seven minutes left to play, but couldn’t make a real impact on the game. So it all went down to the penalty shootout: Zaza, who had come on 30 seconds before the final whistle, shot over the bar, before Buffon saved from Müller and Özil hit the post. Pellè shot wide, and Bonucci and Schweinsteiger also missed their respective chances. Unfortunately, it was Darmian to make the decisive error, while Hector shot past Buffon to give Germany a place in the semi-final. Italy leave the tournament with their heads high and they were sung off by the Azzurri fans.

Photo:  figc.it