Germany winger Julian Draxler said it was an honour to take a penalty against Gianluigi Buffon as he received the Italy star’s match jersey after progressing into the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
Draxler fired home from the spot in what was a dramatic 6-5 penalty shoutout between Germany and Italy in Bordeaux on Saturday evening.
Buffon, 38, was unable to save Draxler’s attempt having seen Mesut Ozil hit the outside of the post in the German’s previous kick.
But the Juventus veteran still managed to stop Thomas Muller’s effort, and was almost able to prevent Jonas Hector’s winning penalty as the ball slid beneath his diving body.
But in a show of good sportsmanship, Buffon gave his jersey to the 22-year- old Wolfsburg winger, who had come on for Mario Gomez after 72 minutes of play.
Draxler got Buffon's jersey after the match:
"It's an honor to have taken a penalty against a legend like him" pic.twitter.com/Pm3HE3a0Fo
— Marco Messina (@Marcocalcio22) July 3, 2016
“It’s an honour to have taken a penalty against a legend like him, ” Draxler was reported as saying after the match.
The former Schalke player has already won 23 senior caps for Germany and will now take part in his first European Championship semi-final when Germany take either France or Iceland at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille on Thursday.
Draxler had been linked with a move to Buffon’s Juventus, but a fee couldn’t be settled with Schalke despite the player having agreed personal terms with the Serie A champions in the summer of 2015.
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