Germany have certainly improved since 2010. They were far too good for England in B loemfontein but now they appear to have the measure of any team in the world. On the evidence so far they are the team of Euro 2012.

But like England, there is a certain hoodoo that must be erased against Italy if they are to advance to the final in Kiev on Sunday.

Never in Germany’s history have they beaten Italy in a competitive match.

They lost the semi-final of the 2006 World Cup, conceding twice in the last two minutes of extra time, and before that they lost one of the great encounters: a 4-3 semi-final defeat after extra time in the 1970 World Cup.

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