Nations League | Germany 3-3 Italy: Epic fightback too little, too late after awful first half

DORTMUND, GERMANY – MARCH 23: Moise Kean of Italy celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Nations League Quarterfinal Leg Two match between Germany and Italy at Football Stadium Dortmund on March 23, 2025 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Moise Kean’s brace and a Giacomo Raspadori penalty let Italy come back from 3-0 down to hold Germany 3-3 after a disastrous first half performance.

The Azzurri knew there was a mountain to climb after fumbling a lead at San Siro to lose the first leg 2-1. Riccardo Calafiori and Andrea Cambiaso had also pulled out through injury, so Alessandro Buongiorno, Federico Gatti, Samuele Ricci and Daniel Maldini stepped into the starting XI. Germany brought in Nico Schlotterbeck, Angelo Stiller, Maximilian Mittelstadt and Tim Kleindienst and moved to a 3-4-2-1 formation.

See how it unfolded on the Liveblog.

This match was played in the same stadium where Italy beat Germany in extra time for the 2006 World Cup semi-final.

Jonathan Tah risked an own goal with his acrobatic interception to stop Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s cross reaching a Moise Kean tap-in.

Sandro Tonali charged down a dangerous Jamal Musiala effort, while Gianluigi Donnarumma was right behind the Leroy Sane effort, but Germany dominated possession, pinning the Nazionale into their own half.

It eventually paid off when Buongiorno pulled back Kleindeinst and caught his heel, leading to a penalty that Joshua Kimmich converted low into the near bottom corner.

There was nearly a second moments later, Leon Goretzka nodding over from the Maximilian Mittelstadt cross from the by-line.

Donnarumma flew to fingertip the Kleindienst header over the bar, but as he and his defenders were still arguing over how he had been allowed that chance, Germany took advantage to double their lead thanks to some truly embarrassing defending. Kimmich took the corner quickly and found Musiala to turn in entirely undisturbed from six yards.

Maldini’s volley went over after a corner, but Germany were dominant and added a third on the stroke of half-time.

They gave it away playing out from the back again, Kimmich stood up a cross for the usual Kleindienst header that Donnarumma clawed away only after it had crossed the line from four yards.

It was the first time the Nazionale had conceded three goals in the first half since a similar result against Brazil in the June 2009 Confederations Cup.

Davide Frattesi came on for the restart and immediately wasted a golden opportunity, ballooning over from 10 yards on the Destiny Udogie pull-back.

Italy did get a goal back moments later, as a rare Kimmich error allowed Kean to go clear, drilling hard and low into the near bottom corner from the edge of the area.

Matteo Politano burst down the right and his pull-back for Kean was intercepted by the defender’s stomach rather than arm.

Kean completed his brace by running onto the Giacomo Raspadori through ball, cutting inside Antonio Rudiger and sweeping a right-foot finish into the far top corner.

Raspadori slipped at the crucial moment to fire wide moments later, then his cheeky pass off the outside of the boot sent Giovanni Di Lorenzo down the right, where he was brought down by Schlotterbeck. The referee awarded a penalty, but changed his mind following a VAR review that showed the defender grazed the ball first with a stud.

Inter defender Yann Bisseck made his senior debut for Germany and almost scored with a header wide from a corner, after Donnarumma got down for a great save on a low Kimmich free kick that slipped under the wall.

It still wasn’t over, as in stoppages VAR spotted Mittelstadt punching the Mattia Zaccagni corner off the head of Bastoni for a penalty, which Raspadori converted to make it 5-4 on aggregate and set up a tense finale.

Germany 3-3 Italy (5-4 agg)

Kimmich pen 30 (G), Musiala 36 (G), Kleindienst 45 (G), Kean 49, 69 (I), Raspadori pen 95 (I)

1

2

77′

4

6

18

15

19

63′

10

77′

8

63′

19

63′

9

1

21

4

19

3

46′

22

11

46′

18

6

85′

8

68′

9

85′

12

3

22

21

14

13

7

11

63′

20

63′

5

63′

23

77′

17

77′

14

13

2

12

17

23

17

7

46′

16

46′

10

68′

20

85′

15

85′