Spain hero sends message to Euro 2024 rivals after exhausting Germany win

In a stunning turn of events, Spain rose from the ashes to defeat Germany in the dying seconds of extra-time, securing its spot in the Euro 2024 semifinals.

Mikel Merino emerged as the savior for Spain , heading in the decisive goal at the 119th minute, leaving Germany and the retiring Toni Kroos in disbelief. Despite Kroos' early exit from the pitch, his aggressive soccer play inadvertently set the stage for Spain's triumph.

After taking out Pedri with a hefty tackle that knocked the young Barcelona talent out of the tournament, Kroos watched as Pedri's substitute, Olmo, not only scored the first goal but also assisted Merino's late winner, earning himself the player of the match title.

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Germany had clawed back into the game with Florian Wirtz's equalizer in the 89th minute. The match, marred by controversy and a total of 17 cards including Dani Carvajal's late red, saw referee Anthony Taylor under fire for not booking Kroos for his challenge on Pedri and overlooking a clear penalty when Marc Cucurella handled the ball in the box.

Merino later commented on his match-winning moment, saying: "I'm dead. The adrenaline is taking its toll on me. It was a unique moment. It was a goal in the 119th minute, but there is a collective effort behind it. Being tied in the 90th minute is a blow, but we deserved it. It was the match we were all waiting for, between two of the best in the world.

"It could be a Euros or World Cup final. We know how to suffer, we have a great team. There's something about this stadium that makes us lucky. My father also scored here. And I made my debut."

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Spain took the lead when daring forward Lamine Yamal darted into the box from the right side before cutting back for Olmo to guide home. A series of strategic substitutions by Julian Nagelsmann soon shifted the momentum, pushing La Roja into a defensive mode.

After Niclas Fullkrug hit the post from close range, Kai Havertz missed a chip shot when Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon recklessly rushed out of his goal.

All seemed lost until Wirtz blasted home Joshua Kimmich's headed pass to level the score. Spain struggled in extra-time, but Germany couldn't capitalize before Merino's stunning winner. Semifinals will see Spain's Robin Le Normand not involved due to suspension.

In a show of emotion, Nagelsmann confessed post-match: "I'm also fighting back tears. When the players talk about the last six weeks like that, it's emotional. A time is now over that was special, when the boys really gave it their all. They lost undeservedly today.

"I think we came back well. We reacted well at half-time. We corrected a few things because we weren't all at 100 percent in the first half. We did well in the second half. Spain had two decent chances in the second half. We had five, six. In extra time, we were actually much closer to scoring the winning goal than the Spaniards."