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Post by staggerstag on Jul 5, 2024 15:39:35 GMT
Spain overcame Georgia in the last round though it took them 40 minutes to wipe out the early Georgia lead, going on to win comfortably 4-1. They arrive here as 4/1 tournament second favourites while Germany enter as 9/2 joint third favourites. Germany beat Denmark last time out in slightly controversial terms according to some reports.
Anthony Taylor is the ref, from some place in Manchester. He is, he claims, an Altrincham fan who has many times denied United or City interests, off the pitch and on it.
The VAR is Stuart Attwell. He is a Luton Town fan who did his best last season to keep Luton up and send Forest down.
Let's hope we're embarrassed by neither today.
Spain: Simon, Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Fabian, Yamal, Morata, Williams.
Subs: Raya, Nacho, Vivian, Merino, Joselu, Olmo, Torres, Grimaldo, Remiro, Baena, Zubimendi, Oyarzabal, Jesus Navas, Lopez, Perez.
Germany: Neuer, Kimmich, Rudiger, Tah, Raum, Can, Kroos, Sane, Gundogan, Musiala, Havertz.
Subs: Gross, Fullkrug, Fuhrich, Baumann, Muller, Beier, Schlotterbeck, Anton, Wirtz, Mittelstadt, Henrichs, ter Stegen, Andrich, Koch, Undav.
Spain are fractional favourites for the 90 minutes but you're splitting hairs.
Spain, though, go in a fifth of a point favourites over Germany for extra time or shootout victory.
90 mins
Spain 17/10
Germany 9/5
Draw 2/1
Outright
Spain 4/5
Germany 1/1
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Post by MrFurious on Jul 5, 2024 15:55:56 GMT
Impossible to predict. Gone for btts as part 1/4 23/1
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Post by Jep Gambardella on Jul 5, 2024 15:57:27 GMT
I will see if I can go for an extended lunch and catch the second half at a sports bar nearby.
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Post by staggerstag on Jul 5, 2024 15:58:07 GMT
Impossible to predict. Gone for btts as part 1/4 23/1 Team to kick off Spain 11/5 Germany 4/11 That's huge. |
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Post by staggerstag on Jul 5, 2024 16:07:27 GMT
Kroos lunges in on Pedri early on and sends the Spaniard down in a heap. The German got a touch of the ball and ref Taylor lets it go. Will that be a sign of things to come, we wonder.
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Post by staggerstag on Jul 5, 2024 16:09:35 GMT
Yes, the injury prone Pedri hobbles off the field of play to be substituted. It looks like a muscle problem though the challenge from Kroos couldn't have helped. Dani Olma comes on for him.
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Post by MrFurious on Jul 5, 2024 16:15:31 GMT
Rudiger out of the semi. Come on Germany!!
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Post by staggerstag on Jul 5, 2024 16:16:39 GMT
That's Rudiger out of any semi-final as he brings down Olmo on the edge of the box. He gets a yellow from referee Taylor. The free-kick amounts to nothing and play continues to pinball from one end of the pitch to the other in this quite open encounter.
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Post by staggerstag on Jul 5, 2024 16:17:49 GMT
Rudiger out of the semi. Come on Germany!! He could have let the ball run, no? Had as much chance as Olbo as controlling it. |
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Post by staggerstag on Jul 5, 2024 16:20:38 GMT
Impossible to predict. Gone for btts as part 1/4 23/1 Team to kick off Spain 11/5Germany 4/11That's huge. Indeed Germany kicked off. The odds are usually a lot closer than these. 5 whole points difference. This seems not quite right to me and I feel that something is amiss. |
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Post by staggerstag on Jul 5, 2024 16:23:15 GMT
Kimmich flies down the right flank on '20 and sends in a good cross which Havertz meets with his head. His mild header is saved by Simon. But that was the first good clear opportunity for either side on goal.
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Post by staggerstag on Jul 5, 2024 16:31:16 GMT
The crowd has not been as noisy as in some matches. You hope the noise level will go up if only to drown out Ally McCoist on co-commentary duty.
Laporte tries his luck from way outside the area but Neuer handles it without ado.
Corner to Germany who are showing signs of real intent here. The sun beams down on a busy penalty area as players jostle and barge for position. The ball comes in and there is a scramble for it before Neuer collects it with players of both teams sprawled on the ground around him.
Yellow card for Spain's Normand for fouling Gundogan. There's another one who will miss any semi-final.
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Post by staggerstag on Jul 5, 2024 16:38:18 GMT
A long ball diagonally finds Havertz on the edge of the box; he traps it and fires a low left-footer on goal. Neuer is again equal to it.
It's going in stops and starts, this game. Chances just suddenly appear. There isn't much flow or sustained pattern to it so far.
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Post by staggerstag on Jul 5, 2024 16:43:15 GMT
Neuer makes yet another easy save, this time a long-ranger from Olmo. The German keeper will take those all day long.
The weather is good, the sun is bright, the crowd is finding its voice. It's a perfect setting for an opening goal, which is what we want but doesn't look like we're going to get this half with three or four minutes left.
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Post by staggerstag on Jul 5, 2024 16:48:26 GMT
Referee Anthony Taylor has blown up near the centre circle with his whistle to his lips.
You can't choose between the two sides here. It's been tight. Yet it's been open. But it's goalless at the interval.
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Post by staggerstag on Jul 5, 2024 17:07:47 GMT
They're out for the second portion as the PA blasts out 'Hey Baby (I Wanna Know If You'll Be My Girl)'. Can't see the connection myself but here we go.
Germany make two changes including bringing on Florian Wirtz who I think scored the opening goal of the tournament.
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Post by staggerstag on Jul 5, 2024 17:14:30 GMT
GOAL
Substitute Dani Olmo has broken the deadlock. Morata, hitherto unseen, threads a ball through on the right flank to Yamal. He plays a square ball into where Olmo has made a determined run. Olmo slots it past Neuer and the keeper is beaten.
First blood to Spain in the opening minutes of the second half. Things should get frantic now, you would think.
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Post by staggerstag on Jul 5, 2024 17:17:51 GMT
Double subbo for Germany as Gundogan and Raum go off to be replaced by Mittelstadt and potential hitman Fullkrug.
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Post by staggerstag on Jul 5, 2024 17:21:34 GMT
German pressure. German pressure. The Spanish don't like it up 'em. It's all with the hosts for the time being. The urgency is rife. They can't begin to think about going out at this stage.
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Post by staggerstag on Jul 5, 2024 17:27:45 GMT
Now Havertz bursts through the midfield, passes to hitman Fulkrug but it goes astray just outside the area. A nice clean break from Germany and you're of the opinion there will be more with 20 or so minutes remaining.
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