Merino last-gasp goal sends Spain to Euro 2024 semis after dramatic extra-time win over Germany

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Spain and its fans celebrated as if they’d won the European Championship. After eliminating tournament host Germany in a thrilling quarterfinal, Luis de la Fuente's team has a great chance to lift the trophy in Berlin next week.

Spain snatched a 2-1 win in extra time on Friday thanks to substitute Mikel Merino's header in the 119th minute. Merino celebrated by running around the corner flag, mimicking his father Miguel Merino's celebration after he scored in the same stadium for Osasuna in the UEFA Cup against Stuttgart in 1991.

“I knew that there was very little time left and that it was one of the last attacks we would have,” Merino said. “I didn’t believe that it had gone in until a couple of seconds later. When you get 30 slaps on your back it sinks in real quick.

“I am very happy for me and the entire team. It all comes down to one moment (the goal), but there is so much work behind it, all the training, the hope, the faith, and the belief in ourselves.”

Extra time came only after Florian Wirtz’s equalizer in the last minute of regulation.

Dani Olmo, who set up Merino’s winner, netted the opener early in the second half. All three goals came from substitutes.

Spain defender Dani Carvajal was sent off late in extra time for a second yellow card and will be suspended from Tuesday’s semifinal against France. Fellow defender Robin le Normand will also miss that match after picking up another booking.

France knocked out Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo in a penalty shootout 5-3.

Spain eliminated the host of a major tournament for the first time in 10 attempts.

Germany players were morose and coach Julian Nagelsmann looked on with his hands on hips and his face etched with disappointment.

“We were so close, that’s what makes it so bitter,” Germany midfielder Toni Kroos said after the final match of his excellent career. The 2014 World Cup winner had said he was retiring when Germany's campaign ended.

“We all had a big goal that we wanted to achieve together,” Kroos added. “And this dream we all had has been simply shattered now.”

Teammates who might also have played their last international included captain İlkay Gündoğan, Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer.

Despite the disappointment and the “hurt,” Nagelsmann managed to crack a joke during his news conference: “It’s hurting also that we have to wait two years to become world champion."

The quarterfinal pitted the Euros' only three-time champions, the teams who have played the best soccer at Euro 2024, and it didn't disappoint.

There was a blistering pace from the start with crunching tackles and end-to-end action.

Kroos was lucky not to be booked for a mistimed challenge that upended Spain midfielder Pedri. Another hefty challenge moments later forced Pedri to leave injured and in tears. He was replaced by Olmo in the eighth minute, the fastest replacement in Euros history.

“Pedri is in pain. It deserved a red card," De la Fuente said. He added it was too early to know if the young Barcelona midfielder would recover by Tuesday.

From the resulting free kick, Lamine Yamal almost became the youngest ever goal-scorer at the tournament but the 16-year-old’s effort flashed past the right post.

Yamal did have a hand in the opener as he cut inside from the right and rolled the ball across for Olmo to hit it first time into the bottom left corner.

It was Yamal’s third assist of the tournament, the most by a teenager at a Euros.

Substitute Nico Füllkrug hit the post in a late desperate onslaught by Germany, which was rewarded just in the nick of time.

Joshua Kimmich nodded Maximilian Mittelstädt’s cross back to Wirtz, whose effort went in off the far post.

The teams had more chances to win in extra time and Germany was incensed in the first period when referee Anthony Taylor didn’t give a penalty after Jamal Musiala’s shot smashed against Marc Cucurella’s hand.

Nagelsmann called for a change in rules for handball so that a penalty would be given if the shot was on target, removing the interpretation of intent.

“There are 50 robots that bring us coffee, so there must be an AI that calculates where the ball will go,” he said.

Just as a shootout was looming, Merino leapt high to head in Olmo's cross and send the Spanish fans behind the goal into a frenzy.

“They always tell you to enjoy the moment, but when you get to minute 105 it is impossible not to think about the penalties," Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón said. "And as the minutes ticked down, I couldn’t help but think that (Kai) Havertz, Füllkrug, and Toni were out there. Mikel saved us from a real bind.”

AP sports writers Joseph Wilson in Barcelona and Ciaran Fahey in Berlin contributed.

AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024

A Germany fan reacts in the fan zone at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, July 5, 2024 during the screening of a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany. (Christoph Soeder/dpa via AP)

Germany's Florian Wirtz reacts at the end of a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Germany's Joshua Kimmich, foreground reacts alongside Antonio Ruediger, top left and Niclas Fuellkrug at the end of a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. Spain won the game 2-1 after extra time. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Germany's Maximilian Mittelstadt, left, and Germany's David Raum reacts at the end of a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Germany's Florian Wirtz reacts at the end of a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Spain's Dani Olmo, right, celebrates with Spain's Alvaro Morata after scoring his sides first goal during a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spain's Dani Olmo, left, scores the opening goal during a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Germany's Joshua Kimmich is hugged by Germany's head coach Julian Nagelsmann at the end of a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Germany's Toni Kroos walks off the pitch after a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Germany's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, center, looks at the ball as Spain's Mikel Merino scores his side's second goal during a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Spain's Mikel Merino celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spain's Mikel Merino, centre, scores his side's second goal during a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Spain's Mikel Merino celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spain's Lamine Yamal reacts after his goal attempt during a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Germany's Toni Kroos, right, and Spain's Dani Olmo gesture during a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spain's Pedri (20) is consoled by teammates after he was taken out of the game following an injury in a quarterfinal match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Spain's Pedri, right, covers his face after suffering an injury during a quarter final match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Germany's Jonathan Tah kicks the ball during a Group A match between Switzerland and Germany at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Sunday, June 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Spain's head coach Luis de la Fuente gestures during a training session ahead of Friday's Euro 2024, quarter final soccer match against Germany in Donaueschingen, Germany, Thursday, July 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Germany's head coach Julian Nagelsmann waves to the fans after a round of sixteen match between Germany and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Saturday, June 29, 2024. Germany won 2-0. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Spain's Lamine Yamal reacts on the pitch during a round of sixteen match between Spain and Georgia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Cologne, Germany, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

CLEVELAND (AP) — Top of the AL Central. Top of the MLB draft.

It's been a season of firsts for Cleveland.

Along with opening a surprising lead in their division with a strong three-plus months under rookie manager Stephen Vogt, the Guardians have the No. 1 overall pick in next week's draft. It's a selection that has the potential to alter the franchise's trajectory for years to come.

As long as they make the correct one.

No pressure.

“We look at this as an extraordinary and exciting opportunity for us,” said Chris Antonetti, the team's president of baseball operations. "Often times when you’re thinking about your first pick, you’re trying to guess who’s going to be off the board before you get an opportunity to select.

“This year we don’t have to guess.”

This year's draft will begin on July 14 in Arlington, Texas with the event serving as a leadoff into All-Star festivities.

Cleveland has never picked first (the team has chosen second five times) and the chance to acquire a talented player who could quicken the team's pursuit of its first World Series title since 1948 is both exhilarating and terrifying.

Antonetti, though, isn't sweating it.

With only a 2% chance of landing the top pick, the Guardians had it fall in their lap when they won the draft lottery at the winter meetings in December. That moment of good fortune was followed by the club's unexpected surge in 2024.

It's a good time to be in Cleveland.

Along with his usual duties of managing the roster, scouring the transaction wire and weighing the team's options before the trade deadline, Antonetti has been immersed in the draft process as he and the club's personnel and scouting departments brainstorm.

They've had meeting after meeting after meeting. A plan has been hatched.

“First and foremost, the thing we are trying to solve for organizationally is use the resources and draft capital we have available to us to bring in the most talented group possible,” Antonetti said. “That's really what we’re solving for and we think when we look up at the end of the draft, we’ll feel good about the group of players we bring into the organization.”

While there's no consensus top pick, there are some great choices.

The Guardians have narrowed the talent pool to just a few possibilities at No. 1 with Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana, Georgia outfielder/third baseman Charlie Condon and West Virginia middle infielder JJ Wetherholt believed to be the frontrunners.

The Australian-born Bazzana has all the tools. He hits with power to all fields, possesses speed on the bases and makes every defensive play.

The 21-year-old may be the most major-league ready, and from Cleveland's standpoint, it helps that he's coming from the same program that produced Guardians All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan (MLB's current leading hitter) and Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, the No. 1 pick in 2019.

The 6-foot-6 Condon fits the profile of what the Guardians have been seeking for years: an athletic power hitter they could plug in at first or a corner outfield spot. Condon won the Golden Spikes Award this season after leading the nation in average (.433), homers (37), slugging (1.009) and OPS (1.565).

Wetherholt led the country in hitting a year ago with a .449 average. He was slowed by a hamstring injury to start this season and missed 24 games. But the 21-year-old still put up solid numbers to keep his name in the mix.

An argument could be made for any of the three — even a few others.

As is almost always the case, money will shape the Guardians' decision.

Cleveland will have a record $18.3 million bonus pool to spend on 21 picks, with $10.5 million as the assigned slot value for the first pick. The team can use the money as it wishes but can't exceed the bonus pool or face penalties.

It's a much more complicated system than used by the NFL or NBA and will require some financial strategy, something Antonetti, general manager Mike Chernoff and their staffs usually excel at.

Last year, the Pittsburgh Pirates had a $9.7 million slot value on the top pick and selected LSU's Paul Skenes, who got a $9.2 million signing bonus, a record that could be eclipsed by the Guardians' pick.

It would be hard to imagine Cleveland's selection having the same impact as Skenes, who Sunday was named an All-Star just eight weeks after his debut.

Vogt, who joked that he was taken No. 1 — "in the 12th round' — knows there will be massive expectations on the top pick. It comes with the territory.

“The outside pressure can get to you at the end of the day,” he said. "The way I look at it is you earned yourself to be the best player in the country. The No. 1 overall pick, you did that. Now it’s just go play baseball. So much of that pressure comes from the media, comes from the outside, but in the baseball world it’s no, dude, you earned that money.

“You earned that right to be the No. 1 pick. Just go be yourself and play and continue to develop and get better just like the rest of the people going to go to the minor leagues. And it’s easier said than done, but that’s the way I view it.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Cleveland Guardians Jose Ramirez (11) is congratulated by hitting coach Chris Valaika (45) after scoring off a Josh Naylor single during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, June 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)

FILE - West Virginia's JJ Wetherholt in action against Xavier during an NCAA baseball game on March 26, 2023, in Morgantown, W. Va. The Cleveland Guardians have the No. 1 overall pick in next week's draft. They have narrowed the talent pool to just a few possibilities with Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana, Georgia outfielder/third baseman Charlie Condon and West Virginia middle infielder Wetherholt believed to be the frontrunning options. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File)

FILE - West Virginia's J.J. Wetherholt watches his home run against Baylor during a college baseball game, April 26, 2024, in Morgantown, W.Va. The Cleveland Guardians have the No. 1 overall pick in next week's draft. They have narrowed the talent pool to just a few possibilities with Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana, Georgia outfielder/third baseman Charlie Condon and West Virginia middle infielder Wetherholt believed to be the frontrunning options. (William Wotring/The Dominion-Post via AP, File)

FILE - Georgia's Charlie Condon hits the ball during an NCAA regional baseball game against Army on May 31, 2024 in Athens, Ga. The Cleveland Guardians have the No. 1 overall pick in next week's draft. They have narrowed the talent pool to just a few possibilities with Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana, Georgia outfielder/third baseman Condon and West Virginia middle infielder Wetherholt believed to be the frontrunning options. (AP Photo/Stew Milne, File)

FILE - Oregon State infielder Travis Bazzana bats during an NCAA baseball game against Arizona State on April 6, 2024, in Corvallis, Ore. The Cleveland Guardians have the No. 1 overall pick in next week's draft. They have narrowed the talent pool to just a few possibilities with Oregon State second baseman Bazzana, Georgia outfielder/third baseman Charlie Condon and West Virginia middle infielder Wetherholt believed to be the frontrunning options. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman, File)