JAKARTA - Italy failed to advance to the semifinals of the UEFA Nations League after drawing 3-3 in the second leg of the quarter-finals at Westfalens Stadium, Dortmund, Monday, March 24, 2025, early morning WIB.
The result made Germany win 5-4 on aggregate after a 2-1 win at the San Siro, Milan, on March 21, 2025.
In the second leg match, Jamal Musiala's goal drew the spotlight. Ball boy or goalkeeper became the hero in creating the goal.
Noel Urbaniack, the name of the 15-year-old ball boy, became the center of attention after the match with interviews and balls signed from German players as he gave his fast ball to captain Joshua Kimmich in the 36th minute in a corner.
At that time, the Italian defense was not ready. Kimmich then quickly passed to Musiala which easily produced Der Panzer's second goal.
Worse, Gianluigi Donnarumma at that moment was leaving his goal for talking to the referee. The situation allowed Jamal Musiala who was not guarded to change his position to 2-0.
"It's amazing. I've never been involved in anything like that," said Urbaniack, beaming and holding the ball signed by the player after the quarter-final second leg match.
"We had a moment to look into our eyes. I saw he wanted the ball and I immediately threw it at him. It was the first time I was a ball boy," said the boy again.
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Meanwhile, Donnarumma's unreasonable action that led to the blunder was the culprit for Italy's failure to the semifinals of the UEFA Nations League.
The captain should set an example for his teammates, such as motivating teams, maintaining team focus, and reducing referee protests that could get players yellow cards.
However, this case is not the case. In the 36th minute, with Italy already 1-0 behind or 1-3 on aggregate, Donnarumma dismissed the Kleindienst Team's header that bounced over the crossbar and ended in a corner for Germany.
Instead of focusing on facing a corner, the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper ran towards the referee for protest.
When he protested, Donnarumma did not realize that he was the last person to return. Joshua Kimmich (who scored the opener from the penalty spot) by only passing the ball to anyone who received the ball in the penalty box because it would be in an onside position.
His team-mate at Bayern Munich, Jamal Musiala, is also wary of the opportunity. The dead ball was quickly taken by Kimmich to Musiala 6 yards from the goal. Musiala cleverly deflected a corner into the wide open goal.
Donnarumma only realized his mistake when the ball fell to Musiala's right foot. The goal made Germany 2-0 that night and aggregate to 4-1. A fatal mistake.
Kleindienst added one more goal just before halftime. Italy scored three goals through Moise Kean's two goals and Giacomo Raspadori's goal in second-half injury time to win a 3-3 draw.
However, in the end Julian Nagelsmann's team won the match 5-4 on aggregate to secure their place in the UEFA Nations League semifinals.
The semifinal match will take place in June 2025. Portugal has been waiting for Germany in the last four. The other semifinals brought together Spain against France.
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