Now that you think about it, Germany played a joke on fans all over the world in 2023. With Germany's 2023 friendly record, they may not even be able to make it out of the group stage at Euro 2024. But after all, the heritage of German football is still deep, after Nagelsmann took office, Germany's spirit immediately changed qualitatively, coupled with the return of Kroos, Germany's midfield is more silky, and the operation efficiency has improved rapidly. Now that Germany have reached the quarter-finals, they are still far from what the fans expected, but at least there are no extreme situations, such as a group exit.
Judging from the process of beating Denmark in the quarter-finals, Germany now faces a strong second-tier team, and the advantage is not small. In the quarterfinals, Germany will face Spain in the first heavyweight test of this European Cup. It can be said that since the beginning of the new century, Spain has been Germany's sufferer, whether it is the World Cup or the European Cup, Spain has made Germany experience a sense of helplessness. In the 2008 European Championship final, Spain ruined Germany's dream of winning the championship four times, and in the 2010 World Cup semi-finals, Germany, which had eliminated England and Argentina by consecutive scores, immediately stopped when it met Spain. Even a few years ago, in the UEFA Nations League, Spain made Germany suffer a 6-0 defeat.
In this encounter, both sides are in good form, and Germany is bound to break through when they play at home, and perhaps, this is the best point in the history of their war between the two sides.
In fact, this quarter-final is much more than the so-called revenge for Germany. Let's not forget that Germany has one of the most special identities in this tournament – the hosts. Looking at this showdown from this angle, you will find a subtle and even terrifying detail -
This match was a historic match point for Germany.
Why?
First of all, let's emphasize once again that this game is a quarter-final, that is, both sides have reached the quarterfinals, and whoever loses will be blocked from the semi-finals. For Germany, this possibility is the most terrifying. Because, as the host of the tournament in the past, Germany has the worst result, and it is also the top four.
In 1972, Germany hosted its first major tournament, the European Championship. At that time they won the first European Cup in their history. In the 1974 World Cup, Germany, as the host, struck while the iron was hot and won the World Cup again.
Since then, Germany has won a major tournament and has never won it on its home turf. But the semi-finals are the passing line. For example, in Euro 1988, the Netherlands and the Soviet Union were the protagonists, but the host Germany managed to reach the semi-finals. In the 2006 World Cup, Germany was in the stage of alternating between the old and the new, which made many people worry. However, although they did not win the championship, they still reached the semi-finals, especially in the quarter-finals against Argentina, in the unfavorable situation of falling behind 0:1, the whole team united to equalize, and finally smiled at the penalty shootout, maintaining the tradition of home games in the semi-finals.
In fact, before that, Germany also hosted the Confederations Cup, which also ended in the semi-finals.
In short, Germany's worst result as the host of the tournament was also the semi-finals, and it was never blocked out of the semi-finals.
So, you are aware of the horror of the quarter-final between Germany and Spain, right? If Germany loses, it means that the tradition of playing the bottom line of the semi-finals will come to an end. Considering the record of the two sides in the past two decades, it has to be said that the probability of Germany losing will not be less than that of them winning. Let's open it in five.
There are superstars on both sides, as well as experienced veterans, and as neutral fans, we still want to see a good game. But for German fans, this historic match point cannot be missed. It remains to be seen whether the door to the home semi-finals will continue to be open or closed for the first time.