Germany's dying-minutes curse at home

Some would call it the curse, some would call it bad luck or host-country pressure, and some would say that this information completely disproves the claim that the Germans always play and fight until the last minute and that they always eventually win.

Danke, Toni!

The first time was the charm for Germany, given that they won the first major tournament they hosted. In 1974, West Germany at the time was the scene of the fight for the world champion title. It would be an understatement to say that for the host winning the title was a walk in the park. Namely, out of the seven games they played, the Germans won six, losing only one match in the group stage against East Germany. They defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in the final, led by Gerd Müller, who scored four goals in total.

Nevertheless, the next hosting occasion was bitter for West Germany. At EURO 1988, everything went great until the semi-final against the old acquaintance - the Oranje. The host even broke the deadlock and took the lead through Lothar Matthäus' goal. However, the current Dutch manager, Ronald Koeman, equalized from the spot and the new superstar at that time, Marco van Basten, secured the first EURO trophy for his country in the infamous 88th minute.

At another World Cup they hosted, in 2006, the Germans had a maximum number of points in the group stage. The trend continued in the knockout phase with triumphs over Sweden 2-0 and Argentina on penalties. And again, the semi-final was fatal for Germany. This time, the rival was Italy, and this time, the host didn't concede one goal in the last couple of minutes, but two! And in extra time! Fabio Grosso gave Italy the lead in the 119th minute, while Alessandro Del Piero, in added time, dashed the Germans' hopes of another world crown.

Finally, we've all witnessed this year's quarter-final catastrophe against Spain when Mikel Merino's header found the net one minute before the end of extra time, sending La Furia to the next round and silencing the entire MHPArena in Stuttgart full of German fans.

Germany is a four-time World and a three-time European Champion and one of the most successful nations in that sense. However, be sure that no trophy, title, or victory can erase the shock and disappointment German fans felt losing in the dying minutes in their own country.

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP - 1/2 FINALS

Tuesday

22.00: (2.70) Spain (3.05) France (3.15)

Wednesday

22.00: (3.15) Netherlands (3.10) England (2.60)

***odds are subject to change***