Jonas Hector scored the decisive penalty in the ninth round of penalty kicks after Leonardo Bonucci had canceled out Mesut Ozil’s strike in regular time to send Germany into the Euro 2016 semi-finals.
Germany altered their lineup to effectively null any Italian attacking strength, and a fascinating tactical battle between two of Europe’s greatest footballing nations struggled to match the pregame hype.
The world champions have awoken in France, and the rest of the field have been warned. Germany’s comprehensive 3-0 victory over Slovakia in their round of 16 encounter gave evidence to the brilliance, balance and cohesion this German side is able to muster.
Jerome Boateng scored a wonderful opening goal in the eighth minute, Mario gomez added a second in the 43rd and Julian Draxler capped a superb individual performance with Germany’s third in the 63rd minute.
Northern Ireland vs. Germany finished 1-0 in favor of Die Mannschaft, but it could have been so much worse.
Germany could have ended the first half 5-0 in front, but Northern Ireland held on, thanks in large part to the performance of goalkeeper Michael McGovern, who made seven magnificent saves throughout the match.
The result sees Germany top Group C, while Northern Ireland's ability to keep the score down means they are very much still alive in this competition.
The Czech Republic vs. Turkey kicked off with both teams needing to win in order to give themselves a chance to progress.
An opening goal from Burak Yilmaz, followed by a rocket from Ozan Tufan gave Turkey a 2-0 victory, knocking the Czechs out of the competition.
Despite the win, it may not be enough for Turkey to progress, as they sit third with three points and a goal differential of negative two.
The USMNT beat Ecuador 2-1 in a match that pretty much had everything. Clint Dempsey bagged a goal and an assist, Gyasi Zardes grabbed the second, and Michael Arroyo pulled one back for Ecuador to set up a grandstand finale.
Romania vs. Switzerland ended 1-1 after a frenetic and entertaining battle. Romania took a shock lead through another penalty by Bogdan Stancu, but the Swiss pegged them back in the second half on the back of an absolute stunner by Admir Mehmedi. Switzerland dominated the match for large periods, but their final ball was well below par and they wasted a multitude of good opportunities, while Romania threatened often on the break.
Spain vs. Czech Republic ended 1-0 for La Roja. Gerard Pique scored the decisive goal in the 87th minute to break Czech hearts. It was not a vintage performance from Spain, as they struggled to break down a Czech side that had not kept a clean sheet in a competitive match since 2013. Three points is three points however, and Spain are now level with Croatia at the top of Group D.
Germany vs. Ukraine ended 2-0 in favor of Die Mannschaft in Group C, with Shkodran Mustafi and Bastian Schweinsteiger baggin the goals. The result sees Germany leapfrog Poland, who beat Northern Ireland earlier, into first place. It wasn't a vintage performance from Germany, and Ukraine were a little unlucky not to equalize in the first half, but the Germans stayed strong and ground out the victory.
Uruguay vs. Venezuela ended 1-0 in favor of La Vinotinto, as a Suarez-less Uruguay basically bowed out of the Copa America without a fight. Venezuela frustrated La Celeste, and continually hit them on the break to great effect, with Salomon Rondon scoring the lone goal. Neither team are assured of anything yet, but barring a shock result when Mexico take on Jamaica later tonight, Uruguay are out, and Venezuela are through.
Brazil vs Ecuador finished as a nil-nil draw after an intense and controversial 90 minutes which saw an Ecuador goal incorrectly disallowed. The result sees Peru stay atop Group B as leaders.