Germany into semi-finals

Germany crushed Greece 4-2 to reach the Uefa Euro 2012™ semifinals on Friday, surviving a scagainst the surprise quarterfinalists before putting them to the sword with second-half goals from Sami Khedira, Miroslav Klose and Marco Reus.Joachim Loew’s team were made to wait 39 minutes to break down a dogged Greek side when Philipp Lahm’s swerving effort put them in front but they were stunned 10 minutes after halftime when Giorgos Samaras levelled on the break.However, Khedira’s rasping volley and a header from Klose, his 64th goal for his country, eased Germany’s nerves and Reus added a fourth as the Germans set up a semifinal against England or Italy.Greece grabbed a late consolation through a penalty from Dimitris Salpingidis.Germany, who had never lost to Greece in eight previous meetings, were much-changed from the side that beat Denmark in their final group game, with Mario Gomez, Lukas Podolski and Thomas Mueller dropped to the bench.Expecting gritty Greece to pack their defence, coach Joachim Loew opted for veteran Klose up front with pace and width supplied by Reus and Andre Schuerrle.Aggressive from the start, Germany looked determined not to get bogged down on a pitch made heavy by two days of rain and they set about creating chances.Schuerrle put the ball in the net after less than five minutes, prodding it in after Greece keeper Michalis Sifakis spilled Sami Khedira’s shot on the greasy turf but a linesman’s flag curtailed the celebrations.Greece, with defensive midfielder Grigoris Makos replacing suspended skipper Giorgos Karagounis, dug in but it was one-way traffic as Khedira and Reus wasted good chances.Coach Loew was visibly angry at his side’s profligacy but the Germans remained patient and were rewarded after 39 minutes when Lahm produced an unstoppable finish that had watching German Chancellor Angela Merkel leaping out of her seat.

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Germany into semi-finals