The same night that Germany was thrashed by the Italians in the championship’s semi-finals, German Chancellor Angela Merkel ran up against the limits of her own powers at the eurozone leaders’ summit in Brussels. Germany’s political course since the beginning of the euro crisis two years ago had left it isolated, and she was no match for an alliance of Italy, Spain, and France.
就在德国被意大利阻挡在欧锦赛决赛大门的同一晚，总理默克尔也在布鲁塞尔欧元区领导人峰会上撞到了她个人权力的南墙。自两年前欧元危机爆发以来，德国的政治路线让它成了孤家寡人，默克尔在意大利、西班牙和法国找不到一位盟友。