Sunday 3 July 2016 16:25, UK
Mesut Ozil scored the opening goal in Germany's quarter-final victory over Italy at Euro 2016 on Saturday night.
The Arsenal playmaker netted from Jonas Hector's deflected cross before Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci equalised from the spot in normal time.
And while Ozil missed his kick in the resulting penalty shoot-out, a detailed statistical analysis from Pro Soccer Development shows his importance in the game. Here, PSD use their unique data to break down the numbers behind his performance...
Joachim Low switched to a 3-5-2 formation against Italy, with Ozil lining up in a free role behind Thomas Muller and out-and-out striker Gomez.
The 27-year-old was Germany's most dangerous player in the final third, carrying the ball forward and dribbling at every opportunity and attempting tricks and disguised passes to get the better of his markers.
Ozil was typically economical in possession, completing 62 short passes across the 120 minutes at a 95 per cent success rate. He attempted to unlock Italy's defence with 13 of his 20 through balls finding team-mates, setting up the likes of Joshua Kimmich, Hector and Thomas Muller to produce crosses.
Shortly after scoring the opening goal, he produced an excellent chipped pass over Italy's defence to set up Gomez for a clear chance. Unfortunately for the Germans, the striker was unable to make it count.
Ozil had plenty of work to do defensively too, with Germany's forwards instructed to press Italy's defenders into making mistakes in order to regain possession high up the pitch.
His work-rate was impressive given he had played every minute of the tournament so far. He regained possession 11 times in total, and his one-on-one defending was generally effective as he came out on top with eight out of 12 duels.
The PSD data shows Ozil's opening goal was not his only valuable contribution against Italy. His penetrative passing frequently tested Italy's formidable defence, and he also contributed in a defensive sense. His missed spot kick put a slight dampener on his evening, but he will be a key figure in the semi-final on Thursday.
