Sunday 3 July 2016 07:15, UK
Manuel Neuer says his determination to stop Leonardo Bonucci's second spot-kick was the key to Germany's dramatic 6-5 penalty shoot-out win over Italy in Saturday's Euro 2016 quarter-final.
Neuer, voted the world's best goalkeeper for the last three years, saved shots from Bonucci and Matteo Darmian in the marathon 18-penalty shoot-out after it had finished 1-1 after extra-time in Bordeaux.
The Bayern Munich 'keeper admitted he had been annoyed when Bonucci's 78th-minute penalty had cancelled out Mesut Ozil's opening goal in regular time.
And he was determined to stop the defender scoring in the shoot-out as Simone Zaza and Graziano Pelle also failed to hit the target for Italy.
"I have never experienced a penalty shoot-out like that before, it really lasted a long time," said Neuer.
"The two which I managed to stop, I still have in my head and the others just shot straight down the middle.
"I didn't want to let Bonucci score twice, so I stopped his shot."
Jonas Hector, who scored the decisive spot-kick to send Germany into the semi-finals, admitted his nerves had been jangling.
"I knew I had to take one at some point and I had my heart in my mouth," said Hector.
"It's hard to put it into words, but I am overjoyed that it went in. There weren't many people left."
The 26-year-old Cologne defender slotted the ball low past the diving Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to send his team through.
Hector added: "We're happy to have gone a round further, it was really stressful and of course luck played its part."
