That’s better.
For the best part of an hour, Germany vs. Italy could be best described as an “enthralling tactical encounter”.
With Germany switching to a 3 man defence, Die Mannschaft had matched Italy man for man, turning the quarter final match into a cagey, nuanced affair as both sides cancelled each other out.
A wonderful game if you’re into chess-like battles in midfield, less so if you like blood, thunder and actual goals with your football.
Save for a PHENOMENAL goal line block from Alessandro Florenzi. Germany vs. Italy looked nailed on for a 0-0 draw and penalties.
That Florenzi clearance… pic.twitter.com/fRAZVBWYzz
— JuveFC (@juvefcdotcom) July 2, 2016
But cometh the hour, cometh the man; as Mesut Özil capped off a fine Germany move to give them a one goal lead.
https://twitter.com/Euro2016Goals/status/749339941608550400
Now Italy have to come out of their shell to equalise, while the Germans can bring on mercurial attackers like Julian Draxler to try and pick them off on the counter attack.
Looks like we’ve got a game on our hands. And once again, we can thank Mesut Özil.
And by we, we mean Arsenal fans.
https://twitter.com/D_Ajiks/status/749339708342300672
https://twitter.com/JayAndreas/status/749338337236975616
https://twitter.com/gillesoffthenet/status/749339109425090561
Game on. And check out our interview with the Germany and Arsenal playmaker here when you get a spare moment. Just don’t ask him what he thinks of Ronaldo vs. Messi.
