PARIS -- The curse is lifted.In eight matches at either the European Championships or World Cup dating back to 1962, Germany had never beaten Italy.The ninth time broke the spell.The Germans can now stop calling the Italians their Angstgegner -- feared opponent.But Germany had to pull out its specialty party trick to do it: the penalty shoot-out.After 120 minutes of normal and extra time ended 1-1 on Saturday, Jonas Hector hit the winning penalty kick that put Germany into the Euro 2016 semifinals.Here are 5 things to know about the quarterfinal in Bordeaux.---FOOTBALL CHESS:This was a game for tactics geeks, not neutrals hoping for end-to-end action.German coach Joachim Loew paid Italy a fine compliment by changing his formation for this match, choosing to fight fire with fire by playing three defenders at the back like his Italy counterpart Antonio Conte.The German back three of Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng and Benedikt Hoewedes left less space for the Italian attacking pair of Graziano Pelle and Eder to operate. Joshua Kimmich, on the right, and Hector, on the left, played as wing backs in Loews formation, hugging the touchlines, pushing high up the pitch and pulling Italy out wide.In front of the German back three, central midfielders Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos provided another screen for the Italians to penetrate. Their 135 caps for Germany were more than the combined total of the central midfielders and two wingbacks that Conte fielded in his 3-5-2 formation.When Khedira suffered an apparent groin strain and had to be substituted after just 16 minutes, Loew was able to call upon a player with even more experience: Manchester Uniteds Bastian Schweinsteiger, who was making his 119th appearance.More than anything, the German formation seemed to mess with Italian minds. The enterprising Italy team that comprehensively outplayed 2012 champion Spain in the previous round thought twice about going forward. Instead of prowling down the wings as they had against Spain, Italy wingbacks Mattia De Sciglio and Alessandro Florenzi were far less intrepid and spent a lot more time reinforcing the defense.---GAME OF TWO HALVESAs the teams took a breather after a goalless first 45 minutes, the boffins at statistics outfit Opta tweeted that of the 18 goals scored in the two teams previous encounters at major tournaments, 15 -- or 83 percent -- came after half-time.Sure enough.Mezut Ozils opening goal for Germany followed by Leonardo Bonuccis equalizer from the penalty spot stalemated the teams at 1-1, and that was how the score stayed to the end of extra time.Settling for a shootout against Germany was a big mistake. Since losing its first penalty-kick contest to Czechoslovakia in the 1976 European Championship final, Germany has now won six on the trot at the tournament and the World Cup.Italy joins France, Mexico, England (twice) and Argentina as victims of German efficiency from the spot.---SUPER MARIOOut-of-favor Mario Gomez only got to witness Germanys 2014 World Cup win from afar, left out of Loews squad that triumphed in Brazil.Recalled by Loew in November after impressing for Besiktas in Turkey, the 30-year-old former Bayern Munich striker is now making the most of his renaissance.Gomez was instrumental in Ozils goal, holding up the ball on the left wing and then getting it to Hector. He laid it on for the on-rushing Arsenal midfielder to smash into Gianluigi Buffons net.---BOATENG GOES BONKERS:In Germanys European Championship opening win against Ukraine, Jerome Boateng used his long legs to pull off an incredible goalmouth block that just, by centimeters, kept out a shot that would have levelled the score at 1-1. The stunning reflexes and athleticism confirmed the Bayern Munich mans status as one of footballs best defenders and made him the talk of social media.He also made a fine block against Italy, just getting a right foot in to deflect a shot from Stefano Sturaro.But, with Germany ahead and in control in the second half, he then inexplicably lost his head against Italy, needlessly giving away a penalty that put Contes team back in the game.Not lifting your arms in the box is basic A-B-C stuff for defenders. Yet that is exactly what Boateng did as the ball came into Germanys box, raising both arms.Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai immediately pointed to the spot.Twitter, of course, was merciless, quickly making Boateng the butt of jokes .----MISSING DE ROSSIDaniele De Rossi was Italys most prolific passer from midfield before this match, attempting 115 passes and completing 98 of them. Against Spain, he completed 36 passes in the 54 minutes he was on the pitch. Only defenders Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini completed more.Against Germany, his absence because of a thigh injury was sorely felt. Without a ball distributor of his caliber, Italy looked disjointed. In the previous round, Italy bypassed the Spanish midfield entirely on numerous occasions but found that much harder to do against Germany.---John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester Air Max 90 Sale . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. Yeezy 700 Sale . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/air-max-97-sale/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Air Max 270 Sale . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta. Wholesale Shoes USA . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. OXFORD, Miss. -- Texas A&M won its fourth consecutive match and improved to 13-0 in the all-time series against Ole Miss with a 25-12, 21-25, 25-20, 25-18 victory over the Rebels today at The Pavilion.Junior outside hitter Kiara McGee had a team-high 15 kills while hitting .407, and sophomore middle blocker Kaitlyn Blake tied her career high with 14 kills while hitting at a .444 clip to lead the Aggies to a 56-47 lead in kills and a .269 to .122 team hitting percentage advantage. Blake, who leads the Southeastern Conference in blocks per set, also had a big day defensively, contributing a match-high eight blocks as she finished with a team-high 19.5 points.Texas A&M junior setter Stephanie Aiple directed the offense, dishing out 42 assists, while junior libero Amy Nettles had a match high 18 digs to head up the backrow defense. Senior Victoria Arenas and sophomore Amy Houser also posted double-figure digs with 11 apiece in their defensive specialist roles.Texas A&M improved to 10-6 overall, including 4-1 in SEC matches only. Ole Miss falls to 12-6 overall and 1-4 in conference matches.The Aggies dominated the opening set. After the Rebels took their only lead at 2-1, Texas A&M took command, using a 13-3 run to cruise to a 14-5 advantage. A&M kept the pressure on the Rebels, reeling off runs of points while allowing Ole Miss to score back-to-back points only twice in the frame.Texas A&M, which hit .286 while holding Ole Miss to a -.032 hitting efficiency, held a 22-12 lead when Aiple got a kill and Nettles followed with an ace to put the Aggies at set point. Ole Miss then hit long on the ensuing play to close out the stanza.The Rebels regrouped and pulled away in the second set to even the match. Ole Miss held a 9-6 lead, but a serve into the net marked the start of a 6-1 A&M run, sparked by two kills apiece by Blake and McGee that gave the Aggies a 12-10 advantage. The lead was short lived, however, as Ole Miss countered with a 4-1 run to retake the lead.Senior middle blocker Jazzmin Babers and freshman outside hitter Hollann Hans had set-tying kills at 14 and 15, respectively, before the Rebels went on another 4-1 run to go up 19-16, forcing an A&M timeout. Following the timeout, Blake put down two kills, and McGee also added a kill during a 3-1 run that put the Aggies within 20-19, but A&M, which was outhit, .361 to .278, was unable to even the score.dddddddddddd The teams exchanged points until the Rebels, leading 22-21, scored three unanswered points, including a block to win the set, 25-21.Ole Miss spotted the Aggies a 4-0 lead to begin the third set, but the Rebels later used a 7-1 rally to take a 10-8 lead. After an A&M timeout, Blake and Company took over at the net, propelling the Aggies on a 7-1 run to put the Aggies up, 15-11. The Rebels fought back to within 15-14 before Blake teamed with junior opposite hitter Ashlie Reasor for a block and followed with a kill to mark the start of a 4-0 run that gave the Aggies their largest lead, 19-14.After trading sideouts, Ole Miss went on a 4-0 run to get back within a point, 20-19, before Reasor ended the run with an off-speed shot to the open floor. The Rebels then committed back-to-back attack errors and also had an overpass, setting up Babers for a kill that put A&M at set point, 24-19. Ole Miss, which was outhit, .241 to .024, stayed alive with a kill before Aiples dump kill closed out the set, giving the Aggies a 2-1 lead in the match.A&M overcame an early three-point deficit in the fourth set, with Blake ending a long play with a kill to give the Aggies their first lead, 10-9. Ole Miss managed to tie the score at 11-11, but it would be the final tie of the match. Leading 21-18, Blake led the Aggies to victory, getting a block and three kills, including the match-winner, in a 4-0 A&M run to close out the contest.The Aggies return home to host a pair of SEC matches during the upcoming weekend at Reed Arena. On Friday, Oct. 14, Texas A&M plays host to South Carolina. First serve is at 6:30 p.m.In celebration of National Dessert Day on Friday, Aggie Aces will be hosting a free ice cream tailgate at the student entrance prior to the match against the Gamecocks. In addition, the first 100 fans will receive a free Chick Fil-A cookie. Also on tap at Reed on Friday is a pie eating contest and a chance to win Chick-Fil-A milkshakes for a year.On Sunday, the Aggies have a pivotal match against 11th-ranked Florida at 4 p.m. It will be the Aggies annual Dig Pink match, and all fans wearing pink can purchase tickets for $3 at the door. In addition, the first 300 fans receive free. Dig Pink shirts. ' ' '
