Jerome Boateng: Near flawless

The centre back was once again an imposing figure 

Having good contacts is usually very helpful. Career perspectives are created by having good contacts, new friendships are made through contacts. It's rarely a bad thing to have contacts and that also applies to the football pitch. However, there was one contact from Jerome Boateng in Germany's quarterfinal clash with Italy which he will not savour. Boateng had contact with the ball 271 times against Italy and on 270 occasions they were flawless. However, he unintentionally handled the ball in the box after 78 minutes, which resulted in Italy’s equaliser.

And the drama ensued afterwards with extra time and a nerve-wracking penalty shoot-out, which Germany eventually won thanks to Manuel Neuer's keeper heroics and Jonas Hector's nerves of steel. And what about Boateng? He also kept his nerves and converted from the spot, with his 271st touch of the ball.

The centre back was once again an imposing figure on the pitch throughout the match with Italy and his stats are very impressive. He won possession 23 times and 84.11% of the 107 passes he attempted found a teammate.

Furthermore, Boateng had another impressive defensive display, winning all of his challenges. The opponents will certainly be looking to avoid coming into contact with Boateng, after the defensive leader once again produced a masterful performance in a major tournament. 

CREDIT TO:http://www.dfb.de/en/news/detail/jerome-boateng-near-flawless-149424/