August 1, 2018 12:29 PM +0430
PARIS -- The curse is lifted. Brian Leetch Jersey .In eight matches at either the European Championships or World Cup dating back to 1962, Germany had never beaten Italy.The ninth time broke the spell.The Germans can now stop calling the Italians their Angstgegner -- feared opponent.But Germany had to pull out its specialty party trick to do it: the penalty shoot-out.After 120 minutes of normal and extra time ended 1-1 on Saturday, Jonas Hector hit the winning penalty kick that put Germany into the Euro 2016 semifinals.Here are 5 things to know about the quarterfinal in Bordeaux.---FOOTBALL CHESS:This was a game for tactics geeks, not neutrals hoping for end-to-end action.German coach Joachim Loew paid Italy a fine compliment by changing his formation for this match, choosing to fight fire with fire by playing three defenders at the back like his Italy counterpart Antonio Conte.The German back three of Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng and Benedikt Hoewedes left less space for the Italian attacking pair of Graziano Pelle and Eder to operate. Joshua Kimmich, on the right, and Hector, on the left, played as wing backs in Loews formation, hugging the touchlines, pushing high up the pitch and pulling Italy out wide.In front of the German back three, central midfielders Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos provided another screen for the Italians to penetrate. Their 135 caps for Germany were more than the combined total of the central midfielders and two wingbacks that Conte fielded in his 3-5-2 formation.When Khedira suffered an apparent groin strain and had to be substituted after just 16 minutes, Loew was able to call upon a player with even more experience: Manchester Uniteds Bastian Schweinsteiger, who was making his 119th appearance.More than anything, the German formation seemed to mess with Italian minds. The enterprising Italy team that comprehensively outplayed 2012 champion Spain in the previous round thought twice about going forward. Instead of prowling down the wings as they had against Spain, Italy wingbacks Mattia De Sciglio and Alessandro Florenzi were far less intrepid and spent a lot more time reinforcing the defense.---GAME OF TWO HALVESAs the teams took a breather after a goalless first 45 minutes, the boffins at statistics outfit Opta tweeted that of the 18 goals scored in the two teams previous encounters at major tournaments, 15 -- or 83 percent -- came after half-time.Sure enough.Mezut Ozils opening goal for Germany followed by Leonardo Bonuccis equalizer from the penalty spot stalemated the teams at 1-1, and that was how the score stayed to the end of extra time.Settling for a shootout against Germany was a big mistake. Since losing its first penalty-kick contest to Czechoslovakia in the 1976 European Championship final, Germany has now won six on the trot at the tournament and the World Cup.Italy joins France, Mexico, England (twice) and Argentina as victims of German efficiency from the spot.---SUPER MARIOOut-of-favor Mario Gomez only got to witness Germanys 2014 World Cup win from afar, left out of Loews squad that triumphed in Brazil.Recalled by Loew in November after impressing for Besiktas in Turkey, the 30-year-old former Bayern Munich striker is now making the most of his renaissance.Gomez was instrumental in Ozils goal, holding up the ball on the left wing and then getting it to Hector. He laid it on for the on-rushing Arsenal midfielder to smash into Gianluigi Buffons net.---BOATENG GOES BONKERS:In Germanys European Championship opening win against Ukraine, Jerome Boateng used his long legs to pull off an incredible goalmouth block that just, by centimeters, kept out a shot that would have levelled the score at 1-1. The stunning reflexes and athleticism confirmed the Bayern Munich mans status as one of footballs best defenders and made him the talk of social media.He also made a fine block against Italy, just getting a right foot in to deflect a shot from Stefano Sturaro.But, with Germany ahead and in control in the second half, he then inexplicably lost his head against Italy, needlessly giving away a penalty that put Contes team back in the game.Not lifting your arms in the box is basic A-B-C stuff for defenders. Yet that is exactly what Boateng did as the ball came into Germanys box, raising both arms.Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai immediately pointed to the spot.Twitter, of course, was merciless, quickly making Boateng the butt of jokes .----MISSING DE ROSSIDaniele De Rossi was Italys most prolific passer from midfield before this match, attempting 115 passes and completing 98 of them. Against Spain, he completed 36 passes in the 54 minutes he was on the pitch. Only defenders Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini completed more.Against Germany, his absence because of a thigh injury was sorely felt. Without a ball distributor of his caliber, Italy looked disjointed. In the previous round, Italy bypassed the Spanish midfield entirely on numerous occasions but found that much harder to do against Germany.---John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester Jesper Fast Jersey . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. Joe Kocur Jersey . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. http://www.cheapnewyorkrangersjerseys.com/?tag=adidas-henrik-lundqvist-jersey . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. ST. LOUIS -- Before the Rams left town in January, the St. Louis Blues were already in line to get an outdoor NHL stadium series game -- just not the Winter Classic.Team Chairman Tom Stillman credits the NHL for recognizing the city sorely needed a shot in the arm and scheduling the Blues against the rival Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 2 at Busch Stadium.Its something that St. Louis could use right about now, Stillman said. Theyre all great, but this is the big one.Commissioner Gary Bettman, executives from both NHL teams plus the Cardinals and former players attended a news conference at home plate in the first public forum since the announcement. As a centerpiece, goalie helmets from both teams flanked the mask of Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina.This is a major league city and unfortunately the NFL has not deemed us worthy, which I think is ridiculous, Blues Hall of Famer Bernie Federko said. Its a soothing moment for sports fans because for our sport, this is the big hurrah.The Blues-Cardinals partnership no doubt was a major selling point. The teams are friendly competitors and illustrated that point not long after the Rams decision to leave for Los Angeles when Stillman and Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III dropped a ceremonial puck before a game.DeWitt said the Cardinals had been bugging the commissioner for a number of years in ways subtle and not so subtle to bring the Classic to St. Louis. Bettman said there was no hesitation choosing St. Louis as site of the eighth Winter Classic.It was clear that both teams were coming together on behalf of the city and their fan bases, Bettman said. Anybody watching would have appreciated that.The Cardinals have held a number of international soccer friendlies at Busch Stadium as well as major concerts such as U2 a few years ago and Paul McCartney this weekend. The stadium still retains faint evidence of lines marking the pitch for a game between Liverpool and Roma on Aug. Martin St. Louis Jersey. 1.Now, this will be the first experience of outdoor hockey for the city. In the days after the announcement in March, the Blues received more than 40,000 ticket inquiries.For young Blues defenseman Colton Parayko, the lone current player in attendance, itll be his first outdoor game since he was with the Fort McMurray Oil Barons in juniors in 2010 or 2011.You come to Cardinals games and theyre pretty loud, Parayko said. Having a chance to have an outdoor game is something youll remember the rest of your life.The game is usually held on Jan. 1, but the league is pushing it back a day as it did in 2012 to avoid going head-to-head with the NFL. Itll be the Blackhawks third appearance in the Classic and this time they will face a bitter division foe.Team President John McDonough called it a perfect fit, and added, Lets take this outside.The Blues eliminated the Blackhawks in the first round of the playoffs this spring and advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2000.The NHL has three other outdoor games scheduled for next season, but there are no worries it has watered down the novelty factor.If youve ever been to one of these, theyre all different, theyre all special, theyre very unique, Bettman said. They capture the imagination, and anybody who has been to one will tell you they would come to as many as we could schedule.League-wide, Bettman said theres no concern over wear and tear for players participating in the World Cup next month with the regular season starting in October.We have a fair amount of knowledge about how this works, the commissioner said. Our athletes are in incredibly great shape, they treat their profession as a 12-month-a-year requirement. White NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap Jerseys Online China Womens NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Autographed Jerseys NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Hoodies Cheap NFL Jerseys Throwback ' ' '