“The Spaniards just wanted to save themselves by going into penalties” - Joshua Kimmich hits out at ‘unfair’ defeat after Germany exit from Euro 2024
Germany star Joshua Kimmich has hit out at Spain for attempting to take the game to penalties after they were defeated 2-1 in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals (June 5). Despite their loss, the Bayern Munich midfielder praised his side for their performances throughout the tournament. He even claimed they played a better game than Spain in their clash.
Die Mannschaft found themselves trailing in the 51st minute following Dani Olmo's goal. However, they responded well and were unfortunate not to score multiple goals. Kai Havertz missed two big chances and Niclas Fullkrug hit the post in the 77th minute.
Florian Wirtz leveled the scores with an exceptional finish in the 89th minute, taking the Euro 2024 clash to extra time. Despite Spain playing well in normal time, they were more reserved in the final 30 minutes, compared to Germany.
The Germans were extremely unfortunate not to receive a penalty in the 107th minute. Marc Cucurella appeared to have handled the ball following Jamal Musiala's strike. To add insult to injury, Mikel Merino scored a late header in the 119th minute to give Spain the win.
Kimmich gave his review of the Euro 2024 QF, claiming the result was unfair (via @iMiaSanMia on X):
"Unfortunately, it was very unfair. We were much better in the second half and extra time. The Spaniards just wanted to save themselves by going into the penalty shootout. We had two really good chances after conceding the goal and should have been awarded a penalty for a handball."
He added:
"This is definitely a completely different disappointment to Qatar. We weren't a team there. It's completely different this time. The past six weeks were very special, the team spirit we had. I haven't experienced that very often. That's why the disappointment is even bigger than at the other tournaments."
"We didn't deserve more there, but it was completely different today. We were definitely the better team against a very good Spain. I also see it as our job to give the people in Germany something they can be proud of."
Germany were statistically the better team as well, landing more shots in total with 23, compared to Spain's 18. The former also had more of the ball with 52 percent possession.
Who was the highest-rated player from the 1-1 draw between Spain and Germany at Euro 2024?
Spain continued their dominant run at Euro 2024, clinching their fifth win in a row following their 2-1 quarter-final victory against Germany at the MHPArena. As per FotMob, Dani Olmo was given the highest rating of any player on the pitch (8.8).
The RB Leipzig star was subbed on in the eighth minute to make an impact after Pedri suffered an injury from Toni Kroos' challenge. He took full advantage, scoring one goal, providing one assist, and creating three chances. The 26-year-old also landed both his shots on target and won eight duels.
Julian Nagelsmann and Co. can be proud of their performances at Euro 2024 but the hosts will no longer play a part in the final four. Meanwhile, Spain will play the winner of France vs Portugal in the semi-finals on Tuesday, July 9.