Stuttgart, July 6: In what has been the biggest upset so far in the 2024 Euros, hosts Germany were knocked out by Spain after indulging in a thriller which ended 2-1 after extra time at the MHP Arena.

The loss is of great significance to Germany as one of football’s most loved and cherished midfielders, Toni Kroos has now retired as he had previously stated he will not continue to play after the end of the European Championship. Following the loss, Kroos revealed his dream to win the Euros has been ‘Shattered.’

"To be honest, right now the main feeling is that the tournament is over, because we all had a big goal that we wanted to achieve together. And this dream we all had has been simply shattered now,"said Kroos to reporters in the post game conference.

The 34-year old has been one of the finest players to play in the past decade and possesses a trophy cabinet which many can only dream of. However, the European Championship would have been the last feather in his cap as that remains the only competition he did not win in his career.

German fans will be proud of their side’s performance as a rejuvenated German squad under the leadership of Julian Nagelsmann has significantly improved under a short period of time. The side progressed to the quarter final stage of a major international tournament after eight years.

"We can all be proud because we improved. I am happy to have helped Germany as a football nation to have hope again. In the future I am convinced the team will succeed, but today we are sad because we wanted to stay in this competition a bit longer," added the German midfield anchor.

Spain and Germany have by far been the two best sides in the tournament and ninety minutes of regular time could not separate the two sides as Florian Wirtz scored the equalizer in the 89th minute before Mikel Merino went on to score a 119th minute winner for the Spaniards.

"I would not say it was the most brutal match, but one where we put everything in. We did not want to lose, we were so close. Now at the moment the exit covers it all. We will realise we played a good tournament, but being so close to reaching the next round is hard," concluded the Real Madrid veteran.

(IANS)

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