Germany vs Italy Euro 2016 match report: Hector seals penalty shoot-out success to take world champions into last four

It was ten minutes to midnight in Bordeaux when Germany finally pulled their way through to the European Championship semi-finals, ending their lifetime curse against Italy as well as a penalty shout-out that had a historic feel to it.

It took 18 penalty-kicks, the normal 10 and another four rounds of sudden-death, for Germany to finally pull away from a dogged Italian side who they simply could not escape. This was a night that Joachim Low’s side, hunting a European crown to go with their World Cup, had made far harder for themselves than they should have done.

This was a match in which Germany were the better side, and took a 1-0 lead, before blowing it when Jerome Boateng conceded a needless penalty to Italy with just 12 minutes left on the clock.

Having suffered from the penalty spot, as Leonard Bonucci converted, Germany had to return to the same end, in front of the Italian fans, to decide who would play in Thursday’s semi-final in Marseille. This was a tight, tense tactical game, two hours of football with two goals and not many more chances between the teams.

The final phase of the night could not have been more different. The first section of the shoot-out, with five kicks each, ended a laughable 2-2, and not just because of the brilliance of the goalkeepers Manuel Neuer and Gianluigi Buffon. Simone Zaza lifted his kick over, Mesut Ozil hit the post, Graziano Pelle dragged his wide and and it all fell to Bastian Schweinsteiger to end the shoot-out and the evening. The Germany captain, the World Cup winner and proclaimed fussballgott hooked his kick helplessly over, and the game continued.

This was when Germany held their nerve, converting three straight kicks to keep the tie alive before Matteo Darmian could not beat Neuer. Jonas Hector had Germany’s second shot to win and this time he made no mistake.

Germany were through, which felt like the right result in the end, especially after a game in which they had been superior. Low had even sprung a surprise by matching Antonio Conte’s set-up, which gave Germany the early upper hand. But as they prepare for Thursday’s big game, it is worth wondering whether this team has quite as much focus as they should have.

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World Champions usually play on their own terms and so few were expecting Joachim Low to abandon his favoured 4-2-3-1 system just because of their opponent. But Low had seen Italy’s last game, their tactical outsmarting of Spain at the Stade de France last Monday, and he did not want the same thing to happen to his side.

So Low redrew his plan, dropping Julian Draxler, even after his man-of-the-match performance against Slovakia in Lille last Sunday. 4-2-3-1 became 3-4-2-1, with Joshua Kimmich and Hector pushed wide as wing-backs. Germany were not going to let themselves be outflanked by Mattia De Sciglio and Alessandro Florezni, nor would they be out-numbered in the middle either.

It was a conservative move with a positive result. By matching Conte’s system Low disarmed him. Germany were free to take control. They dominated possession but had to be patient, against an Italy side as comfortable in a 5-3-2 shape as a 3-3-4. Thomas Muller and Ozil struggled to get on the ball and the German players with the most space to pick passes were the centre-backs. Mats Hummels became their chief creator. He hit one long ball just beyond Mario Gomez, and another to Schweinsteiger, whose headed goal was disallowed for a foul on De Sciglio.

Germany were trying to move the ball patiently but they could never quite find the space they needed. Their best first-half chance came when Schweinstiger skewed a shot so wide that it flew across to Kimmich. He passed to Muller, who could not get enough force to beat Buffon.

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But Germany were the better team and they sensed that the game was there for them. They improved after the restart, with Gomez more willing to stretch the Italian defence with his running. He laid up a chance for Muller, whose shot was deflected away by Florenzi flying through the air.

This was a better Germany, with better rhythm, good enough to break down even this defence. When Florenzi got caught under a Neuer kick, Gomez broke into the space down the left and was found by Muller. Hector underlapped, Gomez fed him, and Hector crossed. Ozil bounded into the box and converted, in front of thousands of gleeful German fans.

The Italian defence had been broken and the game was there for Germany to win. Buffon had to tip the ball over when Giorgio Chiellini tackled Gomez from close range. Gomez limped off, Draxler came on, and Germany looked sharper than ever.

This is why it was so surprising when, with 13 minutes left, Germany threw all this hard work away. Boateng was marking Chiellini tightly in the box when a cross came in, but Boateng jumped with his arms high and wide, as if he were doing an impression of his team-mate Neuer. The ball hit his right hand and the penalty award was obvious.

Leonardo Bonucci waited, looked, and buried the ball into the bottom right hand corner. The Italian substitutes flooded the pitch as if they had the game with the last kick, knowing that they had been gifted a way back into a game they should have been locked out of.

The whole feel of the night changed as Germany realised how unnecessarily difficult they had made things for themselves. It was Italy who looked likelier to win, and when Florenzi and Eder drove another counter-attack forward, with 10 minutes left, Pelle should have done better than dragging his shot wide.

Extra time was as tired and cautious as it often is in games that mean this much. There were half-chances for Ozil and Lorenzo Insigne, but little more than that, as the teams played out time until penalties. With the benefit of hindsight, Italy might have pushed harder for the 2-1 win before the end.