Spain vs Germany, Euro 2024: Merino scores winner; Pedri subbed off due to injury; Major talking points from the ESP v GER quarterfinal

Take a look at the major talking points from the Euro 2024 quarterfinal match between Spain and Germany at the Stuttgart Arena.

Spain’s Mikel Merino celebrates scoring its second goal. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Mikel Merino scored in the 119th minute to help Spain beat Germany 2-1 in the Euro 2024 quarterfinal at the Stuttgart Arena on Friday.

AS IT HAPPENED | SPAIN VS GERMANY HIGHLIGHTS, EURO 2024

Sportstar takes a look at the major talking points from the match:

MERINO SCORES THE WINNER IN EXTRA TIME

Substitute Mikel Merino scored a spectacular header in the 119th minute to secure Spain a spot in the semifinals. He rose the highest inside the box to meet a beautiful cross curled in by Olmo.

WIRTZ SCORES LATE EQUALISER

Substitute Florian Wirtz equalised for the host in the 89th minute after Joshua Kimmich headed down a cross to the 21-year-old, who finished it into the net from close range.

OLMO GIVES SPAIN THE LEAD

Dani Olmo beautifully placed the ball into the bottom left corner with a first-time finish from the edge of the penalty box, after running onto a pass from Lamine Yamal.

PEDRI SUBBED OFF

Midfielder Pedri was forced to come off as a substitute in the eighth minute. He went down clutching his knees in the opening minutes of the match after a harsh and late challenge from Toni Kroos.

Pedri came back into the match after receiving treatment but went down again, suggesting that he could not carry on. He limped off the field covering his face and was replaced by  RB Leipzig’s Dani Olmo.

WIRTZ AND ANDRICH STARTS ON THE BENCH

German midfielder Florian Wirtz is not in the starting lineup to face Spain and is replaced by Leroy Sane. The Bayer Leverkusen player, who has been the starting left-winger under Julian Nagelsmann during the group stages did not star in the round of 16 match against Denmark.

The 21-year-old scored the opening goal of the tournament in the 10th minute against Scotland and also provided an assist.

However, with a reshuffled backline Naglesmann choose to use the Bundesliga player of the season as a substitute to impact the game

Coming off a spectacular invincible season with Bayer Leverkusen, Robert Andrich started all of Germany’s games in the tournament so far, playing 246 minutes for his side.

However, the 29-year-old is one yellow card away from being suspended for the semifinal if Germany advances, after getting booked in its opening match against Scotland.

Emre Can has come off the bench in all matches except against Switzerland, even scoring the fifth goal against Scotland in the opening match.