THE HOSTS PLAY ON
Germany out in semifinal
For Germany, Euro 2016 started and ended with hands. Three of them, to be exact.
Some dirty. Some questionable. The final one — a debatable call against Bastian Schweinsteiger — put them out of this tournament.
And with that, Les Bleus are off to their first final in 10 years following a stunning 2-0 win over the defending world champs.
You can hardly blame German bench boss Joachim Low for, perhaps, not feeling comfortable telling his players what to do with their hands. His infamous scratchn-sniff moment will forever be ingrained in the minds of those who’ve witnessed it.
But after watching Jerome Boateng ’s Titanic-like moment last weekend against Italy, it was shocking to see Schweinsteiger produce a similar handball that completely derailed Germany’s game — one that ended Die Mannschaft’s European Championship.
“It was unfortunate we conceded the goal,” Low said. “That was bad luck one minute for halftime. Of course we had chances. We didn’t score. Today we didn’t have the luck we would have needed.”
Schweinsteiger looked pained as Low replaced him late in Thursday night’s semifinal against host France. The only reason he began this fixture was due to numerous injuries the Germans faced following their quarter-final slugfest with Italy.
Even so, the Germans were in complete control until Schweinsteiger raised his arm in first-half stoppage-time, the precursor to Patrice Evra’s glancing header striking the German veteran’s arm inside the penalty area.
It left Italian referee Nicola Rizzoli with a decision to make. Having conferred with his goalline official, Rizzoli pointed to the spot. The call was so delayed the reaction here was one of confusion followed by immense elation.
Golden Boot leader Antoine Griezmann converted the ensuing spot kick for France, raising the noise level inside Stade Vélodrome to levels unmatched at venues across this country. It was a classic case of goals changing games.
“When we went out of the tournaments in 2010 and 2012, the sides that beat us were better than us,” Low added. “Today, that wasn’t the case. We were better than the French other than the goals and the result.”
The Germans appeared unstoppable up until Schweinsteiger’s error, accumulating upwards of 70 per cent possession and completing twice the number of passes. The French weren’t on the same level.
Rizzoli’s decision, though, was ultimately what decided this semifinal. The Germans took more risks after halftime, leading to Les Bleus enjoying a few more counter-attack opportunities before the Germans produced another gaffe.
The world champs rarely compound mistakes with mistakes, but Griezmann’s game-clincher midway through the second half signified what happened here Thursday night: The Germans, almost flawless through two straight major tournaments, beat themselves.
German fullback Joshua Kammich inexplicably turned over possession close to the goal before Shkodran Mustafa allowed Paul Pogba to dance by him. The French midfielder’s cross was misplayed by Manuel Neuer, who tipped the ball only as far as Griezmann.
The pint-sized French forward rolled the ball into Germany’s vacated net for a 2-0 win that sets up a mouth-watering meeting between the hosts and Cristiano Ronaldoled Portugal on Sunday at Stade de France, the venue where France opened this tournament.
“We did what we needed to today,” French manager Didier Deschamps said. “Perhaps we were clinical. Hugo Lloris was great. He really was crucial when he needed to be.”
The Germans will point to key injuries as being a determining factor in this semifinal. Both Mario Gomez — the only true No. 9 in Low’s arsenal — and Sami Khedira, who Schweinsteiger replaced, were sorely missed.
But they still looked a shadow of themselves at this tournament.
Thomas Muller again showed Thursday night he’s better suited playing beneath a target man and Mario Gotze, the false No. 9 Low began the tournament with, has fallen so far down Germany’s bench he’s next to the team physician.
“We had four important players we couldn’t’ benefit from,” Low said. “But the side has done everything. We had a lot of courage. We invested a lot. There’s nothing to blame them for.”
The Germans will undoubtedly seek new options throughout World Cup qualification in hopes of finding more options up front in the wake of Miroslav Klose’s retirement.
The hosts, meanwhile, are all that stand in the way of Ronaldo achieving something he told reporters he “deserved” this week.
Unlike the Germans, the French aren’t looking past the weekend, when this group of French players could become immortalized alongside this country’s all-time greats. Griezmann arguably has already.
If he continues this goal-scoring tear, his “Hotline Bling” goal celebration will be a welcome sight in Saint-Denis.
And a lesson to Low and Germany that there’s a right and wrong way to use your hands at this competition.