Mats Hummels of Germany kisses his wife Cathy Fischer after his team's win.
Germany's younger generation
can rightfully feel they are the ones to be trusted when the world
champions line up for a Euro 2016 semi-final next week after they stood
up to be counted in the country's first tournament victory over Italy on
Saturday.
Coach Joachim Loew has remained loyal to the core of his World
Cup-winning squad for much of the tournament but it was his emerging
players who showed nerves of steel to secure a famous quarter-final
victory in Bordeaux.
In a nerve-wrecking 6-5 win on penalties, Germany missed more spot
kicks in a matter of minutes than they had in their entire shootout
history as some of Loew's most trusted servants surprisingly failed to
find the target.
Mesut Oezil of Germany reacts after missing at the penalty
Mesut Ozil, Bastian
Schweinsteiger and Thomas Mueller, who have played a combined 274
matches for Germany, all fluffed their lines but still lived to fight
another day thanks to their team mates.
For Ozil, who opened the scoring in the match that ended 1-1, it was
his second missed penalty of the tournament, while Mueller has yet to
find the net in two European Championships despite boasting a proud
record of 10 World Cup finals goals.
Schweinsteiger, hailed as a hero of the 2014 World Cup win, was last
to miss, firing over the bar with a woeful attempt that could be
considered a symbolic changing of the guard.
The 31-year-old injury-plagued skipper has struggled for form at
Manchester United and looked well past his prime for most of the match,
as if ready to pass on the baton to a younger leader.
The experienced threesome's failures had little impact on the
outcome, however, as young guns Jonas Hector, Joshua Kimmich and Julian
Draxler were able to keep their cool to send Germany on to a sixth
consecutive semi-final at a major tournament.
Germany's Joshua Kimmich celebrates with friends and family after the game.
Fullback Hector, who scored the
decisive penalty in his first tournament, will no doubt keep his
starting spot, as will 21-year-old Kimmich, whose selfless work down the
wing kept the Italians on their toes.
The 22-year-old Draxler, who scored once and set up another in the
3-0 victory over Slovakia in the Round of 16, was initially sacrificed
for an additional defender at the start of the game.
But his introduction in the 72nd minute instantly invigorated Germany
and he could have netted a late winner with an audacious bicycle kick.
Thomas Mueller of Germany shows his dejection after his penalty saved by Gianluigi Buffon of Italy.
With France and Iceland, who
face each other in the last quarter-final on Sunday, both possessing
arguably weaker backlines than the Italians, Loew is widely expected to
turn to his youngsters once more in Marseille on Thursday.
Central defender Mats Hummels is suspended for the game while Sami
Khedira could be ruled out with an adductor muscle injury he picked up
early on Saturday.
With several exciting prospects waiting in the wings of the
tournament's youngest remaining squad, such as explosive winger Leroy
Sane and midfielder Julian Weigl, both 20, Loew has a selection headache
any coach would be delighted to suffer.
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