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Euro 2012, a tournament of high quality and drama, is finally in its last leg of the tournament. It’s only two weeks past since Euro 2012 started, and the fans are now just a two days away from the big final.
Yesterday at the first semi-final, after two hours of dramatic attack and counter attack from both Portugal and Spain, Spain had the last laugh. They have beaten Ronaldo’s men in a 4-2 penalty shoot out. After having survived from the “group of death” and some overwhelming performances by captain Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal’s dream EURO’12 run came to an end.
The second semi-final of the EURO 2012 will see Germany and Italy clash for a place in the final. Both the teams have performed well so far in the tournament. While Germany have displayed a brand of attacking football, establishing themselves as one of the hot favourites of grabbing the championship by winning all their matches, the Italians have stuck to their compact and simple game, defending with gusto and trying to score on the counter.
So before the second semi final kicks off, lets take a closer look at some of the players who will be important for their respective teams.
GERMANY:
WARSAW, POLAND – JUNE 27: Bastian Schweinsteiger of Germany attends a training session ahead of their UEFA EURO 2012 semi-final match against Italy, at National Stadium on June 27, 2012 in Warsaw, Poland. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER - The most important man in the German line up, Schweinsteiger has gone through Euro 2012 with minimal recognition. Quietly controlling the attack from the midfield, his understanding with Mario Gomez and Mesut Ozil is simply spot on. One of the best players in the world, Schweinsteiger’s passing, amazing work rate and selflessness gives the platform for Gomez and Ozil to create and score goals. If Germany need to win against Prandelli’s men, then this triangle needs to fire.
MESUT OZIL - Supremely talented playmaker, whose performances this season for Madrid had proved his mettle. The 23 year old Real Madrid midfielder is a part of the four man midfield wall with Thomas Muller and Lukas Podolski linking up behind striker Miroslav Klose or with Mario Gomez. With the presence of teammates like Sami Khedira and Bastian Schweinsteiger, it gives him the opportunity to penetrate the opposition defence even further.
PHILLIP LAHM - Considered as one of the best full backs in the world along with England’s John Terry, Spain’s Gerrard Pique, Lahm though right footed, is capable of playing on both sodes of the pitch. Well known for his pace, dribbling, long range shots and precise tackling abilities, he is also capable of covering a lot of distance to help in the attack. His goal against Greece in the quarter final proved a lot about his goal scoring capabilities.The Bayern Munich capatain has vast experience under his belt which will come into action to stop Italy’s Mario Balotelli.
ITALY:
WARSAW, POLAND – JUNE 27: (L-R) Antonio Cassano, Mario Balotelli and Andrea Pirlo during an Italy training session ahead of their UEFA EURO 2012 semi-final match against Germany at National Stadium on June 27, 2012 in Warsaw, Poland. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)
ANDREA PIRLO - Pirlo has been his country’s stand-out performer in Euro 2012. Operating the Italian attack from staying deep in midfield, Pirlo has done most of his damage through dangerous diagonal balls to the two front-men . His delivery from set pieces has also been crucial, which add extra threat to the opponents defence. Low needs to pay special attention to this talismanic midfielder, considering his performance against England in the quarter final.
MARIO BALOTELLI - Balotelli has been getting into good positions and making meaningful runs into the box, but his finishing is not up to the mark. Though he had scored a spectacular goal against Republic of Ireland, the Man City striker can be a handful for Lahm & co. Since the Germans are a very athletic team, Italy’s fortunes in this match will very much depend on how Balotelli plays tonight.
GIANLUIGI BUFFFON - The Juventus custodian has been the regular goal-keeper for Italy since the 2002 FIFA World Cup. His performance during the entire tournament caught many eyes. A perfect role model for any goal keeper, Buffon is the perfect man between the sticks for Italy. Having conceded just two goals so far, Buffon’s confidence will be very high before the Germany encounter. One should not forget that, in the quarter final against England he was the one who took the team into the semis making a heroic hero penalty save from Ashley Cole.
