On Thursday, in the first leg of their Nations League quarterfinal at the San Siro, Germany staged a comeback to beat Italy 2-1. Leon Goretzka headed the winning goal 14 minutes before the end of the game.

The second leg will take place in Dortmund on Sunday. The victorious team will host the Nations League semifinals in June, where they will face either Denmark or Portugal, and also the final.

Germany applied high pressure in the early stages, while Italy aimed to counter-attack. The hosts, Italy, scored with their first opportunity in the ninth minute.

Nicolò Barella passed the ball into the box for Matteo Politano. Politano pulled the ball back towards Moise Kean, and then the ball came to Sandro Tonali, who fired a shot into the corner.

Germany continued to enjoy more possession, but while Goretzka headed over and sent another effort straight at keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, the visitors' keeper Oliver Baumann had to parry away shots from Tonali and Kean.

Nadiem Amiri sent a free kick just over the bar before the break and Italy took their lead into the interval.

Germany equalised four minutes into the second half when Joshua Kimmich floated the ball into the box and unmarked substitute Tim Kleindienst rose to power a header past Donnarumma with his first touch.

Tonali played a deft back-heeled pass into Kean who hit a snap shot over the bar and Giacomo Raspadori was sent through one-on-one with the keeper but Baumann saved with his leg, while Goretzka headed wide from another Kimmich cross.

The winner came from Kimmich's corner which looked to have gone into the net without a touch, but Goretzka got the slightest of headers to the ball before it beat Donnarumma.

Italy piled forward, Barella pulling his shot wide from a corner and Baumann saving from Daniel Maldini but the Germans held on to take a one-goal cushion back to Dortmund.

The Italians will now hope to relive memories of 2006 at the Westfalenstadion, when they beat Germany in the World Cup semifinal before going on to lift the trophy.