With Spain on the ropes and searching set for penalties of their European Championship quarter-final in opposition to hosts Germany, substitute Mikel Merino stepped up — or, extra to the purpose, leapt as much as win it.
Dani Olmo swung in a right-footed cross within the 119th minute and the Actual Sociedad midfielder jumped to fulfill it, his header leaving goalkeeper Manuel Neuer rooted to the spot.
It was Merino’s second purpose for Spain — his different one had been in a 6-0 Euros qualifying drubbing of Cyprus in September. The 28-year-old managed only one purpose in 25 appearances for Newcastle United throughout his sole season there, 2017-18, although he did rating eight occasions for Actual Sociedad final season.
However this one will reside lengthy within the reminiscence of all Spain followers — and it had all the things to do with the way in which Merino used his physique.
The transfer began with left-back Marc Cucurella getting on the ball within the German half. As he shapes to move to Olmo, Merino (No 6) is hovering simply outdoors the field, with fellow substitutes Joselu and Mikel Oyarzabal to his proper.
As Olmo receives the move, Germany right-back Joshua Kimmich comes out to fulfill him, leaving centre-backs Antonio Rudiger and Waldemar Anton with three Spain gamers to regulate. Left-back Maximilian Mittelstadt runs again to cowl Oyarzabal’s run, however Toni Kroos (No 8) is ambling in the direction of the field.
That seems to trigger confusion together with his former Actual Madrid team-mate Rudiger. With Olmo shaping to cross, Merino makes a intelligent run from between Rudiger and Kroos. Neither decide up Merino and the Spain midfielder ghosts in behind the defender. He doesn’t must outjump the 6ft 3in (190cm) Rudiger — however he nonetheless produces a gravity-defying leap to get on the tip of Olmo’s inch-perfect ball.
Merino’s header is a glancing one into the highest left-hand nook. He stoops whereas in mid-air to ship it again throughout from the place it got here, leaving Neuer immobile.
However it’s only within the nonetheless footage that you simply realise how spectacular Merino’s motion is.
The midfielder’s bounce is sort of frog-like as he splays out his legs and twists his head, having arrived at pace however needing to regulate his physique place, to ship his header previous Neuer.
He has his again to purpose as he makes contact and rotates his neck to place simply the correct quantity of flight on the ball, wrong-footing the Germany No 1.
Spanish commentators had been fast to make comparisons with one other essential header scored in opposition to Germany of their nation’s soccer historical past — Carles Puyol’s, which determined their 2010 World Cup semi-final. Spain went on to beat Netherlands within the ultimate.
It additionally meant Merino emulated his father Miguel, a former midfielder who scored for Osasuna in a November 1991 UEFA Cup match in opposition to Stuttgart in the identical stadium. Merino’s purpose celebration, circling the nook flag, was the identical one his dad had carried out.
At 118 minutes and 52 seconds, it was the third-latest profitable purpose in Euros historical past after Michel Platini’s 119th-minute effort for France in opposition to Portugal in 1984 and Artem Dovbyk’s 121st-minute end for Ukraine in opposition to Sweden on the delayed 2020 event.
3 – Mikel Merino scored the third-latest profitable purpose in EURO historical past after 118 minutes and 52 seconds, behind Michel Platini in 1984 in opposition to Portugal (118:53) and Artem Dovbyk in opposition to Sweden within the 2020 version (120:36). Semifinals. #GERESP pic.twitter.com/WcH4vaS76T
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) July 5, 2024
Merino was requested if it was the “purpose of his life” by reporters after the sport.
“It may very well be up till now, sure,” he mentioned. “Due to the significance of the sport, within the final minute to win a match, it might simply be the purpose of any participant’s profession.
“At first I didn’t consider it, as a result of I noticed the ball go off my head, I noticed it simply because it was moving into. I heard an unbelievable silence — I didn’t know if one thing was occurring or not. It took me a number of seconds for me to work out it had been a purpose and I celebrated it like mad, all my team-mates got here and piled on and (then) I realised it had been a purpose.”
The Spain followers watching in Stuttgart and again house definitely didn’t want any time to react.