Germany eliminated from the European Football Championship
2-1 defeat against Spain after dramatic match – farewell to Toni Kroos.
Hamburg (dpa) – Germany have been eliminated from EURO 2024 after losing 2-1 to Spain. In a dramatic, top-class encounter in Hamburg, Germany’s national team led by the exceptional Toni Kroos didn’t manage to equalise until shortly before full time, making the match go into extra time. Mikel Merino scored the winner one minute before the end of extra time, when spectators were already expecting a penalty shoot-out. With this victory, Spain underpinned its role as favourites to win the tournament.
For German midfielder Toni Kross, the quarter-final against his adopted country Spain was the last match of a great career. “We gave everything we could not to lose – and we came very close to winning, which makes it all the more bitter,” said Kroos. He won the Champions League six times with Real Madrid, as well as winning the German league championship three times and the Spanish league championship four times. The highlight of his career was winning the 2014 World Cup with Germany in Brazil. In the second match of the evening it took a penalty shoot-out for favourites France to beat Portugal.