The clash being suspended due to weather conditions during the first half did nothing but delay what seemed to be the inevitable for Denmark, as Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany ran out as 2-0 victors during a routine performance in Dortmund.
As the rest of the competition were warned that Germany still have their eyes fixed on lifting the trophy in their own capital, the Danes will now spend the evening packing their bags after an extremely disappointing campaign that saw them fail to register a single win.
As it happened
After just three minutes in Dortmund, Nico Schlotterbeck thought he had registered his first ever international goal in his club’s stadium. An in-swinging corner from Toni Kroos landed perfectly for the defender, who found himself head and shoulders above anyone in red and white. However, the German’s marker, Andreas Skov Olsen, was obstructed by Joshua Kimmich, which left Michael Oliver with no other option but to disallow the opener.
Although the Danes received a gift wrapped lifeline from the English referee, they refused to learn or adapt to the German’s corner tactics. Schlotterbeck and Robert Andrich threatened to open the scoring in the air again during the first ten minutes, as all four corners handed Germany’s way threatened the current stalemate.
As the half progressed, the Germans continued to not just play their opposition off the park, but they were preparing to stamp their counterpart’s passports, pack their suitcases, and book them on the next flight out of Flughafen Dortmund.
After numerous chances that went the way of Julian Nagelsmann’s men, it was evident that Denmark’s flight must have been cancelled. A long ball directed into the path of midfield maestro, Christian Eriksen, was met by a sublime first touch on the edge of the box, but his shot was blocked by the long legs of the six-foot-two Antonio Rüdiger.
Although initially amounting to nothing, that opportunity relit the Danish fire, as the side in crimson asserted themselves into the game, and retaining more possession came in turn. Kasper Hjulmand’s side still created issues for their 52 year-old boss, and whilst Kai Havertz and Andreas Christensen forced play to stop due to their respective head injuries, it was still the manager who had the largest headache at the Westfalenstadion.
In true EURO2024 unpredictable fashion, the first rumbles surprisingly didn’t stem from the supporters watching on, but from lightning which cast itself over the iconic stadium. After just minutes, the referee made the executive decision to suspend the game momentarily, with the welfare of both the players, fans and all those inside the stadium at stake.
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter awaiting further information on the sidelines, the players were led back to their respective changing rooms as hail began to crash down on the pitch. With the rain worsening, and the roof caving to the pressure, a lengthy wait was in order before the players were met by a relieved applause as they made their way back onto the pitch.
Although he could have scored a hat-trick in the first 45 minutes, it was Dortmund’s defender who nearly laid out a red carpet for the first goal, with Manchester United’s star striker, Rasmus Højlund, willing to strut down it. After unwisely pondering on the ball in his own box, he was dispossessed and the ball was picked up by the 21-year-old, but the striker opted to selfishly shoot and hit the side netting, as opposed to squaring it to a free teammate.
On the stroke of half-time, the Danes hit Germany on the counter like their true Viking heritage. They marauded up the pitch, as Eriksen played a perfectly weighted pass to Thomas Delaney in his former stadium, and as Højlund gained the opportunity to make up for his previous error, Manuel Neuer denied the former Atalanta man in a one-on-one.
After the break, the first chance of the second-half went Denmark’s way, as Crystal Palace’s Joachim Andersen netted his first international goal. From a free-kick, the ball bounced around die Mannschaft‘s box, before it met the 28 year-old sweetly, who rifled it into the bottom left corner. However, after a lengthy and controversial VAR check, the goal was ruled offside as Delaney found himself mere millimetres the wrong side of a man in white, and it was Nagelsmann’s side who was offered a lifeline this time.
Then, just minutes after being denied a goal at the other end, Andersen gifted a penalty to the Germans after a VAR review determined a hand ball, through the use of the new connected ball technology. From hero to villain, he offered Havertz the opportunity to score his second of the tournament from the spot, and the Arsenal man silenced his midweek doubters as he made no mistake in slotting it into the bottom right corner.
After sending a message which felt somewhat personal to his striker counterpart, Niclas Füllkrug, a magnificent collection from Havertz saw him go one-on-one with Denmark’s goalkeeper, but in the 25 year-old’s true style, he paired sublime with ridiculous as he attempted an audacious lob, which went narrowly wide.
13 minutes later, after they allowed Denmark to continuously knock on their door, the Germans didn’t just respond, but they struck back. A faultless long ball from the impressive Schlotterbeck found Jamal Musiala, who made no mistake in slotting it past the keeper to double his team’s lead, and net his third goal of the tournament. After using the luscious green grass as a makeshift dancefloor throughout the night with his audacious trickery, the Bayern München midfielder had one more reason to bust the moves once again on his rival’s own backyard.
With the game all but over for the Danes, their task soon became to at least end their time in Germany on a high. Despite having plenty of the ball in the final 20 minutes, the tiredness within the eleven was evident, and no meaningful chances were created.
In fact, it was arguable that the hosts crafted the better chances throughout the latter portion of the game, as their energetic breaks and counter-attacks couldn’t be contained by their adversaries. A long-ball from Neuer was glanced on by Füllkrug, as substitute Florian Wirtz bundled the ball over the line after a long run. After faint applaud, VAR stole the show once again, and took the score back to 2-0 due to an offside offence committed by the striker.
After VAR controversy, a penalty, thunder and lightning and so much more, the final whistle finally blared around the stadium after a long night in Germany. The host nation, who retain their unbeaten streak in the competition, will continue their progression to the final, and prepare to face the victor between Spain and Georgia on Friday night in Stuttgart.
For previous European Championship champions, Denmark, who usually see relative success in the competition, the side go out on a whimper after failing to win a single match.
You can stay up to date with the rest of EURO2024’s round-of-16 ties and beyond, here at FromTheSpot.
The lineups:
GER: Neuer, Kimmich, Rüdiger, Schlotterbeck, Raum, Andrich, Kroos, Gündoğan, Sané, Musiala, Havertz
DEN: Schmeichel, Bah, Andersen, Vestergaard, Christensen, Mæhle, Højberg, Delaney, Eriksen, Skov Olsen, Højlund
Leave a Reply