Germany capitalized on Italian mistakes, including a bizarre blunder by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, to secure a spot in the Nations League semi-finals, despite a late Italy rally. Julian Nagelsmann’s team triumphed 2-1 in the first leg at the San Siro in Milan on Thursday and completed the job in the second leg at Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park.
After conceding a penalty, which was converted by Germany captain Joshua Kimmich following a foul on Tim Kleindienst by Alessandro Buongiorno, Donnarumma made a costly error for the second goal. He tipped Kleindienst’s header over the bar, then appeared to argue with either the referee or his teammates, walking around eight yards off his line. Germany took advantage with a quick corner from Kimmich on the right, which Jamal Musiala swept into the open net while Donnarumma was out of position.
This gave Germany a 4-1 aggregate lead, and just before halftime, it became 5-1 when Italy lost possession trying to play from the back, with Kleindienst heading in a Kimmich cross for his third assist of the night. However, Italy fought back in the second half.
Moise Kean, a former Everton striker, scored twice for Italy—first with a precise finish into the bottom corner and later after being set up by Giacomo Raspadori. In the fifth minute of injury time, Italy equalized on the night at 3-3 when Maximilian Mittelstadt was penalized for handball, allowing Raspadori to score from the spot. The aggregate score stood at 5-4 in Germany’s favor, but Italy couldn’t find another goal to force extra time.
This marks Germany’s first semi-final appearance in the Nations League, where they will face either Denmark or Portugal in June. With this quarter-final victory, Germany will join Luxembourg, Northern Ireland, and Slovakia in World Cup Qualifying Group A, while Italy will be placed in Group I alongside Estonia, Israel, Moldova, and Norway.
