[courtesy of dw.de]

Two goals in the first half from Italian striker Mario Balotelli proved to be too much for Germany in their Euro 2012 semifinal. Italy advanced to Sunday’s final against Spain.

Many German fans headed into Thursday’s Euro 2012 semifinal match against Italy with one eye already focused on Sunday, to ‘our rematch with the Spaniards.’ After losing to Spain in the Euro 2008 final and the 2010 World Cup semifinal, Germans wanted nothing more than to see their team hoist the trophy after finally besting their Spanish rivals.

But Thursday’s clash was a historic rematch as well for Germany, against the team that knocked them from the 2006 World Cup in the semis. Unfortunately for Joachim Löw’s side, history repeated itself, and Italy bounced them from this tournament, too.

Instead of Miroslav Klose, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm, Mesut Özil, Manuel Neuer and the rest of the squad going down in the history books as legends that restored glory to German football, it will likely be Italy’s Mario Balotelli who is remembered for shattering a nation’s dreams.

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