Spain has faced Germany once at the World Cup, in 1994, and faced West Germany twice before that.
But no clash was bigger than the match between the two sides in the Euro 2008 final. Fernando Torres was the hero in Vienna, scoring in the 33rd minute to give Spain a 1-0 victory and its second European title.
The biggest World Cup match the two sides have had came in Spain 1982. West Germany ended Spain’s hopes of hoisting the World Cup on home soil by beating La Roja 2-0 in Madrid, eliminating the squad from the tournament in the second group phase.
Player to watch for Germany
Mesut Ozil — Forget billing Ozil as the German “midfielder of the future.” Ozil has arrived, so much so that he is one of the contenders for the Golden Ball award at the World Cup. The 21-year-old (yes, twenty-one) attacking mid is the pivot point of the devastating German counterattack. He has limitless energy along with passing and scoring instincts years beyond his age.
Player to watch for Spain
Iker Casillas — Striker David Villa may have sent Spain through to the semis with his winner late in the match against Paraguay, but top-class keeper Casillas was the real hero, stopping a penalty kick when the game was tied and then making a massive save late in the game to keep Spain ahead. Germany hasn’t seen a keeper of his quality yet, and he’s in top form, only allowing two goals so far in the tournament.
West Germany defeated Spain 2-1 in the group phase of the 1966 World Cup in England. Germany and Spain tied 1-1 in the group phase of the 1994 tournament hosted by the United States.
