Poland hosted their last match of the Euro 2012 in the capital city of Warsaw where the Germans, who had won all of their previous matches in the competition, took on the fearless Italians, who had just come off the back of a gripping win in penalties over the English, for a place in the final against Spain on Sunday.
Die Mannschaft made 3 changes to the team that beat Greece in the quarter-finals, with Bavarian forwards Mario Gomez and Toni Kroos replacing Miroslav Klose and Marco Reus, both of whom had scored in their previous fixture against Greece. New Arsenal man Lukas Podolski was picked ahead of Leverkusen forward Andre Schurrle. The Azzurri made just 1 change to the team that beat England, as fit-again Giorgio Chiellini replaced Ignazio Abate.
A sense of excitement had developed as the Germans wanted to seek revenge for their 2006 World Cup semi-final loss, whereas The Italians were looking to continue their dominance over the Germans.
The Azzuri coped with early scares from the Germans but then settled faster in the match linking their play well and establishing a rhythm in their midfield. Ricardo Montolivo and Antonio Cassano had their long distance shots saved by German number 1 Manuel Neuer.
It was just matter of time before Italy scored as the inexperienced German defence was sliced open in the 20th minute. Chiellini fed Cassano on the left, who found the gap between two German defenders with a quick turn to put in a mesmerizing cross which was met by Mario Balotteli’s head. The Azzurri had drawn first blood.
Die Mannschaft were stunned by the goal and it did them no good in their style of play, which lacked the panache that we have seen in the tournament so far. The Germans found it hard to link their play against a defence that gave nothing away.
In the 36th minute, new Milan man Riccardo Montolivo played a searching ball over the German defence, but found Mario Balotelli in acres of space. While the German backline was caught napping, "Super Mario", as he is called, flounced petulantly towards goal and thumped a thunderous shot past Neuer to send the Azzuri into a comfortable lead. Germany were left dumbfounded as Baloteli had just shocked die Mannschaft, Joachim Low, German fans all around the globe and even German Chancelor Angela Merkel, supposedly a staunch supporter of the national team. The Italian forward was booked for dissent as he cleaved off his shirt in celebration, a typical gesture by a player who, until now, was known more for his antics than his play. On the other hand, Germany never looked like the side to make a strong comeback like they did in their previous match against Greece.
At half-time, with the Italians comfortably ahead, the Germans faced a rather daunting task of overcoming an Italian defence known for its stringent and physical play. Germany, despite apparently having more depth in the squad, were never formidable in this match and trailed the Azzurri who counted on their defence. Things certainly had not worked out the way they were supposed to for Germany. Wonderful saves by Italian captain and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon kept the Germans at bay.
The German crowd began to get behind their national team, but crowd support could do little to strengthen the German attack and convert opportunities into goals. Despite improving their play in the second half and pressing more on the Azzurri defence, Germany could not put the ball in the Italian net. Instead, they became vulnerable to swift counter-attacks from the Italians.
Germany kept pushing forward, but the pressure exerted did not break the Italians as the Azzurri hit them back on the break. Substitute Antonio Di Natale squandered a brilliant chance in the 82nd minute to put the game beyond all doubt, when he was on a run with only Neuer to beat, but only managed to hit the side-netting despite having all the time in the world to seal off the game.
A consolation sprang up for the Germans when Khedira's shot hit Balzaretti's hand in the penalty box. Creative playmaker Mesut Ozil converted the penalty calmly, but it was just too late for a comeback.
The final whistle sent Italy to battle with Spain for the European Championship, and sent Germany packing from Poland, in much the same way as happened in 1945. This loss ends die Mannschaft's impeccable record of 15 consecutive victories in a major international tournament. Not quite the workmanlike Germans we know of. It is rather difficult to believe that this exact team was branded as a "favourite" to win the title. Their performance against Italy surely defied the meaning of the word. A not-upto-the-mark performance by the Germans, both in defence and attack, saw them knocked out of Euro 2012 by a team that definitely deserved a place in the final.
Forza Azzurri?
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