Spain vs. Germany final score: Euro 2024 result as Mikel Merino breaks host-nation hearts in Stuttgart drama

Mikel Merino broke Germany hearts with a 119th-minute winner that stole a 2-1 extra-time win for Spain in a gripping Stuttgart quarterfinal at Euro 2024.

The tie of the round pitted the best team in the competition so far against the hosts and, despite falling behind to Dani Olmo's wonderfully worked 52nd-minute goal, Germany were the better side for sustained periods.

Talismanic centre-forward Niclas Fullkrug hit the post but they had to wait until the 89th minute for Florian Wirtz to dispatch Joshua Kimmich's knockdown and spark bedlam inside MHPArena.

Penalties loomed. Germany have not lost a shootout since going down to Czechoslovakia and Antonin Panenka in 1976, while Spain were dumped out of Euro 2020 and the 2018 and 2022 World Cups on spot-kicks. 

Luis de la Fuente appeared to have robbed his side of momentum with conservative substitutions after going ahead, but one of those men, Merino, produced a moment that will echo through the ages. The Real Sociedad midfielder timed his run perfectly to head home Olmo's pinpoint cross.

SPAIN IN THE 119TH MINUTE 😱🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/2hp5EyAGWl

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 5, 2024

Dani Carvajal was sent off for a cynical late foul on Jamal Musiala and captain Alvaro Morata will also miss the semifinal against Portugal or France after being booked amid the chaos of Merino's goal celebrations. But Spain will take arriving in Munich depleted after it looked like they might not get there at all.

MORE: Euro 2024 schedule and results, updated LIVE | Who will win Euro 2024? Latest odds and predictions | How to watch all the Euro 2024 action 

Spain vs. Germany final score

Venue: MHPArena, Stuttgart

Referee: Anthony Taylor (England)

Lineups:

Spain starting lineup (4-3-3): 23. Simon (GK) — 2. Carvajal, 3. Le Normand (5. Nacho), 14. Laporte, 24. Cucurella —  20. Pedri (10. Dani Olmo), 16. Rodri, 8. Ruiz (9. Joselu) — 19. Yamal (11. Torres), 7. Morata (c) (21. Oyarzabal), 17. Williams (6. Merino).

Germany starting lineup (4-2-3-1): 1. Neuer (GK) — 6. Kimmich, 2. Rudiger, 4. Tah (13. Muller), 3. Raum (18. Mittelstadt) — 25. Can (23. Andrich), 8. Kroos — 19. Sane (17. Wirtz), 21. Gundogan (c) (9 Fullkrug), 10. Musiala — 7. Havertz (16. Anton).

MORE: Best bets and latest odds for Spain vs. Germany

Spain vs Germany stats

Spain vs. Germany live updates, highlights from Euro 2024

Fulltime

Kroos' final kick in professional football ends in Simon's arms and Spain are through to the semifinals of Euro 2024. Luis de la Fuente's team have been the best in the tournament but they were second best today. However, over the past decade, La Roja have been accused of not being able to win ugly. They did that here and Mikel Merino produced a moment that will live forever in his country's footballing folklore. They'll play the winners of the match coming up between Portugal and France. Thanks for joining us.

120+6 mins: Dani Carvajal is sent off! We're still going and it's ever more chaotic. Carvajal desperately brings down Musiala to earn his second booking. Germany will get to pump one more ball into the box.

120+4 mins: Olmo has been amazing today but why on earth hasn't he taken that to the corner. One last change for Germany. Fullkrug heads just wide! Surely that's it?

120+2 mins: Germany need to do it now. Fullkrug wins one in the box, bodies everywhere, Kimmich's shot is blocked. Now Torres breaks. He can wrap this up but can't find the finish.

119 mins: GOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!! Mikel Merino!!!!!!!

Spain have won it!!!! Oh my goodness!!!! Luis de la Fuente's side have hung on at times since Olmo's opening goal, his substitutions looking to have backfired. But one of them has booked a place in the semifinals. Olmo with the in-swinging cross and Merino buries it.

SPAIN IN THE 119TH MINUTE 😱🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/2hp5EyAGWl

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 5, 2024

117 mins: Fullkrug again! He gets across the ailing Nacho to glance a header towards goal that Simon saves well from. He's a force of nature.

109 mins: Torres goes deep with a Spain corner and Germany can break from Laporte's header. Wirtz carries it superbly, Musiala is screaming for the return pass but he waits for Fullkrug, who blasts over.

106 mins: Germany want a penalty as Musiala fires a shot against Cucurella's hand. It's close to his body, though, and common sense prevails.

Kickoff: 2nd Half (ET)

Fifteen minutes to avoid penalties. Spain have gone out of each of the past three major tournaments on spot kicks.

Halftime

Perhaps it's a consequence of both teams having made their allocated six substitutions, but that half lacked fluency.

105+1 mins: Even closer from Wirtz! Muller finds him on the edge of the box. The shot is curling away from Simon but curls just beyond the upright too.

104 mins: Oohhhh, not far away from Oyarzabal, who's bouncing shot skims wide of an out-stretched Neuer and the left post. The Germany goalkeeper was not sure he had that covered.

102 mins: On comes Stuttgart-born Spain striker Joselu. Hello, narrative...

101 mins: Musiala makes the give-and-go with Wirtz. Simon can't grasp the cross, minor chaos ensues but Spain survive.

97 mins: Understandably there's a more pensive feel to this now. Wirtz gets down the right and Carvajal clears his cross.

Kickoff: 1st Half (ET)

Off we go again. Anton replaces Havertz, meaning Germany have a normal amount of defenders on the field again.

Fulltime

We go to extra time. Spain were agonisingly close to glory thanks to Dani Olmo's wonderfully worked goal but Florian Wirtz had other ideas. There'll be another half hour and all the momentum is with Germany.

90+4 mins: Muller's cross flashes across the goal, Fullkrug can't get there. Back it comes, oh and Muller could have won it there! Was he offside?

90 mins: There'll be four minutes of added time. De la Fuente has used his squad in-game all tournament but he surely regrets having Williams, Lamine Yamal and Morata all back in the sheds now.

89 mins: GOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!! Florian Wirtz!!!!!

It's been coming and Bayer Leverkusen star Wirtz has us heading towards extra time. Mittelstadt hangs up a teasing cross from the left, Kimmich gets up at the back post and Wirtz drills his shot into the turf and in off the post.

GERMANY FINDS THE EQUALIZER 🇩🇪

Florian Wirtz finds the back of the net in the 89th minute 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QUYY1zHuf6

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 5, 2024

88 mins: The short corner is worked cleverly enough but Mittelstadt having a shot blocked from 25 yards can't have been the plan at this juncture.

87 mins: Havertz sends a cross towards the goalmouth, it's beyond Fullkrug but Carvajal has to clear behind.

86 mins: There some nonsense going on in the box. Kroos finds Havertz at the second attempt. Simon saves well but referee Taylor has spotted a foul.

85 mins: Carvajal shoves Fullkrug and Germany have a free-kick that Kroos likes the look of, 30 yards from goal to the left of the D.

83 mins: Oohhhh, close for Havertz but should he have squared to Wirtz. Simon having one of those lively two-minute spells he can thrown up. It's an awful clearance, the Spain goalkeeper is out of his ground and Havertz clears the crossbar with his chip.

82 mins: Simon the latest player into the book for timewasting.

80 mins: De la Fuente brings on Oyarzabal and Merino for Morata and Williams. Preserving 1-0 in the name of the game for Spain as Muller comes on for centre-back Tah. Buckle up!

77 mins: Fullkrug hits the post! Kimmich finds Wirtz underlapping down the inside of Cucurella. The cutback is slightly behind Fullkrug, who is grappling with Nacho but slides to turn a low effort against the outside of the right post.

74 mins: Torres overhits the free-kick, Laporte volleys it back into the danger zone from the back post. Germany get away and Torres pulls down Musiala, rugby-style. Yep, that's another yellow card.

73 mins: Torres gets on his bike down the right. Mittelstadt crudely fouls him. Another player who will miss the semi if Germany recover.

72 mins: Now Fullkrug heads wide. No more than half a chance.

71 mins: Fullkrug making a nuisance of himself in the Spain box again and Carvajal has to make a sprawling block to deny Havertz. Fulltime suddenly looking a long way away for Spain.

70 mins: Brilliant save from Simon! Fullkrug with some excellent centre-forward play after Havertz's knockdown. He sets it back to Andrich, whose drive towards the bottom corner is kept out by Simon low to his left.

68 mins: Germany deal with the set-piece and look to break, only for Musiala to boot the ball upfield and through to Simon.

67 mins: Kroos, who could be under half an hour away from the end of his fabulous career, is forced to take a yellow for the team as he pulls down Olmo. 

62 mins: Ferran Torres preparing to come on as Cucurella concedes another Germany corner. Lamine Yamal the player to make way.

60 mins: Andrich slots a pass to Wirtz, who takes aim from outside the area. The shot is deflected behind. Decent spell for Germany.

57 mins: Double change from Nagelsmann, straight swap at left-back as Mittelstadt replaces Raum. Gundogan makes way for Fullkrug, which will mean Havertz dropping back into the No. 10 position and the hulking Borussia Dortmund forward leading the line.

56 mins: Andrich clouts into Williams and is booked, making him the latest player to be banned from a hypothetical semifinal. 

55 mins: Rodri snaps in to make an excellent challenge on Musiala on the edge of the box. Spain dart up the other end, Williams and Lamine Yamal combining but Germany scramble back.

54 mins: Germany look to hit back straight away, Raum keen to atone for his role in the goal. His cross is smuggled away with Musiala in close proximity.

52 mins: GOOOOAAAALLLLLL!!!!! Dani Olmo!!!!

Breakthrough for Spain! Morata slots a pass to Lamine Yamine in the channel. Germany give the teenage winger too much room and he squares for Olmo, who has timed his run to perfection and slots a low shot beyond Neuer,

DANI OLMO PUTS SPAIN ON TOP 🇪🇸

Lamine Yamal with the set up, Dani Olmo with the finish 🎯 pic.twitter.com/NSquQHoudb

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 5, 2024

47 mins: Brilliant centre-forward play from Morata, who gets in front of Rudiger to take down Yamal's chipped pass, spins and fires over the bar.

46 mins: Wirtz introduces himself to Laporte by pressing the Spain centre-back and catching him on the ankle. It was a foul but that was lackadaisical from Laporte and he was lucky to be caught.

2nd Half: Kickoff

We're back underway. Nacho replaces Le Normand in the Spain defence, while there's a double change for Germany as Can and Sane make way for Andrich and Wirtz.

Halftime

Goalless at the break. This has been a high-tempo, engrossing contest although it's also safe to say it hasn't lived up to expectations. Germany won't mind that. There's a clear plan to rough house Sapin's dazzling creatives and prevent their midfield from establishing a rhythm.. Those have proved to be effective ploys so far in a game of few clear chances.

45 mins: Lamine Yamal thuds in an effort from distance and Neuer saves. There will be two minutes of added time.

39 mins: It's quite frantic, with both teams giving the ball away more than you'd expect. Havertz is the latest culprit and Olmo strides forward to unleash a low drive. Neuer beats it away and Morata can't readjust to get to the rebound.

36 mins: Williams scampers in to force a save from Neuer at his near post but the flag goes up. The Athletic Bilbao winger went too early when Ruiz slid the through ball in his direction.

35 mins: Chance for Havertz! :Le Normand completely misreads Rudiger's long ball. Havertz takes it beautifully on his chest but doesn't get clean contact on his shout. Simon makes a tumbling save.

30 mins: Le Normand the next man into the book, meaning he will miss the semis if Spain go through. Fiesty affair this.

28 mins: Raum goes into the book for a foul on Carvajal. Williams' free-kick is half cleared, Olmo gets some of the ball and a chunk of Gundogan as he tries to shoot and that's a foul.

27 mins: Spain looking increasingly uncomfortable under Germany's set piece pressure but back they come, with Williams skipping away from Sane and chipping a fine ball into the middle of the area. Alas, there's no one there.

25 mins: Kroos delivers, Tah can't get much purchase on his header.

24 mins: Morata chases back after Kimmich and bundles him over. A classic example of defenders dreading a striker coming back to help out with the defending because Germany now have a free-kick in a handy position on the right.

21 mins: Now Germany gets something going as Gundogan spreads the play to Kimmich. It's a lovely cross from the Bayern Munich man, perhaps a little floaty, and Havertz's header is held by Simon.

17 mins: Spain tidy up after another Raum raid down the left. Olmo carries them forward. A worrying amount of room opens up from a German perspective before Ruiz clatters over outside the box.

15 mins: Ooohhh, Williams whips it around the near side of the wall and just wide.

14 mins: Germany certainly looking to impose their physicality on Spain but that's daft from Rudiger, who clumps into Olmo. He's booked, will miss the semis if Die Mannschaft get through and this is in a dangerous position.

11 mins: Havertz puts Raum into space down the left but his cross is a poor one and Simon grasps it to his midrif.

7 mins: Pedri is down again and doesn't look in great shape. De le Fuente is fuming. It looks like an early change. Dani Olmo is coming on.

4 mins: Little bit of Real Madrid on Barcelona here as Kroos clatters into Perdri. Foul and no more. Spain want a booking and De La Fuente is furious on the touchline.

2 mins: Clumsy coming together between Can and Cucurella and the Spain man needs a bit of attention before he can continue.

Kickoff: 1st Half

We're underway and Spain straight into their work. Williams comes in off the left flank and the ball is set back to Pedri, whose fizzing drive from the edge of the box is saved by Neuer,

5 mins before kickoff: The teams emerge into Stuttgart's sweltering early evening. It's time for the anthems.

20 mins before kickoff: Germany's defenders and full-backs Kimmich and Raum in particular face a daunting task against Lamine Yamal and Williams tonight. One statistic that underlines their importance is Spain averaging 26.3 take-ons per game (via Opta), more than any other team at Euro 2024.

MORE: Nico Williams transfer status, contract, salary

40 mins before kickoff: Emre Can wasn't even in the initial Germany squad for Euro 2024, with the experienced defensive midfielder called up after Aleksander Pavlovic's late withdrawal. The Borussia Dortmund man has clearly impressed in camp. He came on to complete the scoring as Germany beat Scotland 5-1 in their opening match, the first of three substitute appearances in the competition. Now Can has the not-inconsiderable task of trying to disturb Spain's imperious engine room.

1 hour before kickoff: Here the Spain team. No surprises, it's the side we've come to recognise as the best XI in the competition. Pedri holds off Dani Olmo's strong claims for a starting place.

⏰ ¡¡𝗨𝗡𝗔 𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗔 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗔 𝗘𝗟 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗗𝗢!!

🤔 ¿Recordamos el once inicial?#VamosEspaña | #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/548xqIyd5r

— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) July 5, 2024

1 hr 10 mins before kickoff: Here's the Germany team. Jonathan Tah comes back in after being suspended for the last-16 match against Denmark. Nico Schlotterbeck drops to the bench despite impressing in his absence. Leroy Sane retains his place in the front three ahead of Florian Wirtz, while Emre Can is a surprise inclusion ahead of Robert Andrich at the base of the midfield.

Your starting XI to take on Spain! 🔥💪#DFB #GermanFootball #GermanMNT #EURO2024 #ESPGER

📸 DFB/ Thomas Böcker pic.twitter.com/drpeYtUJwZ

— German Football (@DFB_Team_EN) July 5, 2024

1 hr 20 mins before kickoff: Germany played Spain in the group stages of the Qatar World Cup but this is their for European Championship meeting since the final of Euro 2008. A Fernando Torres goal proved to be the difference between the sides and began Spain's run of three consecutive major tournament successes. The 2010 World Cup was their finest hour and they hammered Italy in the Euro 2012 final. Perhaps this will be the start of a dynasty for one of these sides today.

1 hr 40 mins before kickoff: Right then, this really is the good stuff. By any reasonable measure, these two have been the best teams in the tournament. Some of the shine has come off Germany after scraping  a draw with Switzerland and battling past Denmark, but they remain supremely talented host nation with a genuinely elite coach in Julian Nagelsmann. Spain have simply dazzled with four wins out of four, their livewire wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams the stars of the tournament so far.

2 hours before kickoff: Hello, and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of Spain vs. Germany! We've reached the quarterfinal stages of the tournament and by the end of tonight we'll have our first semifinal set. The winner of today's game will play either Portugal or France.

Spain vs. Germany kickoff time

This Euro 2024 quarterfinal kicks off from the MHPArena on Friday, July 5 at 6 p.m. local time in Stuttgart.

Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories around the globe:

Spain vs. Germany lineups, team news, starting 11

Spain welcomed back all their main players to secure a win against Georgia after resting 10 of them in the final group-stage match against Albania.

Nacho Fernandez and Ayoze Perez, who were fitness concerns, did not play in that game but are back among the substitutes. Dani Olmo has pressed his case for a starting berth convincingly but Luis de la Fuente has understandably kept faith with Pedri.

Spain starting lineup (4-3-3): Simon (GK) — Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Cucurella —  Pedri, Rodri, Ruiz — Yamal, Morata (c), Williams.

Germany, meanwhile, have Jonathan Tah back from suspension to partner Antonio Rudiger at centre-back. Julian Nagelsmann's other chance is a slight surprise, with Emre Can replacing Robert Andrich at the base of the midfield.

David Raum continues at left-back but Florian Wirtz has to be contnchent with a place on the bench as Leroy Sane continues in the front three.

Germany starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Neuer (GK) — Kimmich, Rudiger, Tah, Raum — Can, Kroos — Sane, Gundogan (c), Musiala — Havertz.

Spain vs. Germany live stream, TV channel

USA: Spain vs. Germany will be televised in the United States on FOX. This is available to stream on Fubo with the latter offering a FREE seven-day trial. ViX is also an option for Spanish viewers. 

Radio coverage of the match can be followed on SiriusXM FC.

UK: Friday’s match will be shown in the UK on ITV1 and the fans can stream on ITVX.

Canada: TSN are the main English-language broadcasters for Euro 2024 while TVA provides French options.

Australia: Australia's sole broadcaster for the European Championship is Optus Sport. 

India: Euro 2024 matches are available to watch on on JioTV and Sony LIV. Spain vs. Germany can also be viewed on Sony Ten Network on TV.

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