Incredible stat perfectly demonstrates the marvellous mettle possessed by Leonardo Bonucci

12 minutes left in the most important game of many Italy internationals' careers to date.

The Azzurri were heading for the exit thanks to a Mesut Ozil finish twenty minutes into the second half but, as the 80th minute approached, Jerome Boateng conceded a bizarre penalty thanks to his flailing arms. We must admit that, once the referee pointed to the spot, we wondered 'who is going to take the penalty?' You had Graziano Pelle, Eder, Emanuele Giaccherini all on the pitch but, oddly, we saw the centre-half clutch the ball.

#Almanya 1 - 1 #Italya #GOL #GOAL #Euro2016 #Germany #Italy #Bonucci #GERITA Çeyrek Final #quarterfinal #Buffon pic.twitter.com/hhAHjpqnS2

— SpotyFutbol (@SpotyFutbol) July 2, 2016

Leonardo Bonucci bravely placed the ball on the penalty spot and, against the greatest goalkeeper in the world, calmly dispatched the spot kick to draw his country level. And as the net rippled, a remarkable stat emerged online that claimed that the goal was Bonucci's first ever penalty kick (excluding shootouts). https://twitter.com/OptaPaolo/status/749343239879135232 That's some bottle!