Berlin: Italy fought back from three goals down, but Germany’s dominant first half was enough to see them through 3-3 on Sunday and 5-4 on aggregate, booking their place in the semifinals of the UEFA Nations League.
After having won the first leg 2-1, Julian Nagelsmann’s side immediately took control of the game.
Early efforts from Leon Goretzka, Maximilian Mittelstadt and Jamal Musiala set the tone before Leroy Sane tested Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with a low shot on 27 minutes.
The breakthrough came three minutes later when Tim Kleindienst was brought down in the area after a neat move and Joshua Kimmich stepped up to calmly send Donnarumma the wrong way and double Germany’s aggregate lead.
Germany struck again just five minutes later. Donnarumma kept out Kleindienst’s close-range header but had no answer when Musiala pounced on the ensuing corner to head home from a few meters after Kimmich’s pinpoint delivery.
The home side didn’t let up the pressure. Another flowing move saw Kimmich again playing the provider, this time with a perfectly weighted cross into the box. Kleindienst rose to meet it and flicked a header over the line to put Germany 3-0 up on the night and 5-1 ahead on aggregate.
The visitors continued to press and were rewarded midway through the half. Substitute Giacomo Raspadori’s precise pass found Kean, who beat his marker with a stunning finish into the top corner to make it 3-2.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo appeared to have won a penalty for contact with Nico Schlotterbeck, but VAR intervened, and the decision was overturned.
In stoppage time, a VAR decision went in Italy’s favor when a handball was spotted from a corner. Raspadori stepped up and slotted the penalty into the top corner to level the scores and put Italy within a goal of forcing extra time.
However, Germany’s defense held firm, clearing crosses and breaking Italy’s rhythm to see out the match. Despite a late scare, their dominant first-half performance proved decisive.
The result sent Germany through to the semifinals, where they will face Portugal on 4 June, with the last four to be played on home soil in Stuttgart and Munich.
Portugal’s Francisco Trincao came off the bench to score twice and Cristiano Ronaldo also netted as it beat Denmark 5-2 after extra time for a 5-3 aggregate win that set up a UEFA Nations League semifinal against Germany.
Ronaldo bounced back from missing an early penalty to play a crucial role in his team’s recovery, and though he had to watch extra time from the bench, he continued to drive the crowd on as Portugal finally found a way to end Denmark’s resistance.
With the Danes leading the tie 1-0 thanks to Rasmus Hojlund’s goal in Thursday’s first leg in Copenhagen and fullback Joakim Maehle having left the camp to attend the birth of his child, his replacement Patrick Dorgu handed Portugal an early gift, bundling over Ronaldo to concede a penalty in the third minute.
Portugal took the lead on the night in the 38th minute thanks to an own goal from Danish defender Joachim Andersen, who headed a corner won by Ronaldo into his own net.
That goal was cancelled out by a Rasmus Kristensen header from a corner of their own in the 56th minute, and though Ronaldo gave the home side the lead again with a finish from a tight angle, Christian Eriksen put Denmark back in front on aggregate in the 76th minute.
Trincao then took over, scoring in the 86th minute to make it 3-3 on aggregate and force extra time before netting again with a superb clipped finish in the 91st to put his side in the driving seat.
Denmark defended heroically but it ran out of steam after Trincao’s second goal, and substitute Goncalo Ramos added the coup de grace with Portugal’s fifth to send it through to a final-four meeting with Germany, which beat Italy 5-4 on aggregate.
Goalkeeper Mike Maignan saved twice in the shoot-out as France beat Croatia 5-4 on penalties after their UEFA Nations League quarterfinal tie had ended 2-2 on aggregate, sealing a place in the last four in June.
Les Bleus won 2-0 on the night with goals in normal time by Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele at the Stade de France to wipe out the deficit from Thursday’s first leg.
With no further scoring in extra time, the tie went to penalties, where Maignan saved from both Martin Baturina and Josip Stanisic, while Franjo Ivanovic also missed his kick for the visitor.
Jules Kounde and Theo Hernandez both failed to convert for the host, but Dayot Upamecano scored when he became the seventh France player to step up, sparking scenes of celebrations on the pitch and in the crowd of 77,502.
France, which won the Nations League in 2021, will now take on title holder Spain in the semifinal on June 5, with the winner going through to the final three days later. Agencies
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